The Pain Of Loss
by AuthorJ
Summary: Spoiler Alert! 1 month after Alpha's defeat, everyone continues on with their normal lives. Everyone, that is, except for Roll... R and MM and Minor L and M Pairings. Complete!
1. Coping With The Pain

The Pain Of Loss  
  
~~Sidenote people, I don't own Megaman or any of it's characters, it's all to Capcom. I do own this story though. ^.^~~  
  
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Flashback  
  
Megaman and Lan had dealt the final blow to Alpha, the last threat to the web after the deaths of Wily and Bass.exe. From Alpha's remains rose a door into the past. Lan and Megaman spoke to one another of the matter, and finally decided to proceed through into the unknown. Upon reaching the original Scilab and meeting with their Grandfather, the original Dr. Hikari, they obtained the heavily encrypted note addressed to Lan's father. On their way to the escape of the Pulse Transmission System, Alpha struck one last time. As Megaman's last act to save Lan, he overloaded and launched Lan's Pulse Body to safety.  
  
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The Present  
  
It's been a month since Megaman's deletion. Everyone was cut deep by the loss of the Blue Bomber, the one who, by Lan's side, had seemed to tie everything together. Everyone had managed to find their own ground to stand upon. All except for Roll.exe, that is.  
  
Roll had been unable to even perform basic functions for that entire month, as the sorrow, guilt, and anger upon her emotional systems had grown so great. Mayl had tried everything to bring her out of it, but not even she, her best friend and operator, could alter Roll's feelings on the matter. For the longest time, Mayl couldn't figure out what was wrong, until one day, it hit her. Just as she had always secretly pined for Lan, Roll had felt the exact same for his deleted Navi, Megaman.  
  
One day after school, Mayl had finally decided to confront Roll upon this matter. The instant she had reached her house, she removed her shoes at the front, dropped her backpack just by them, and dashed upstairs to her room. She picked up her PET and took it out of sleep mode. Roll's eyes fluttered open, gazing sadly to her operator. Mayl then immediately knew her assumption was correct by that gaze, having seen it in her own reflection many times after she and Lan had spent time alone. "Roll... you don't need to hide it from me anymore..." Roll looked sighed and looked away, shutting her eyes, forcing back tears. "What am I hiding, Mayl...?" As she said this, one of the few words she'd spoken in this past month, Mayl felt a tug on her heart strings at the pain in her voice. Having had to hear this from one she would have considered as a sister if she were real was like watching her real mother or father suffer in some way or another. She held the PET close to her face, speaking gently so as not to upset Roll any further. "Roll... I know that you loved Megaman..." Roll's eyes shot wide, immediately turning a deep shade of crimson in her cheeks. She looked to Mayl, speechless.  
Mayl closed her eyes, cradling the PET in her arms, as if she were trying to hold Roll close. "It's okay, Roll.. I know it hurts.." Roll shut her eyes, unable to restrain her tears any longer. She started to sob like never in her life, every ounce of hurt she had felt these past 4 weeks revealing itself. "M... Mayl, I,.. I never had the chance to tell him how I felt.,. He.,. and the others left for Wily's base and then... H... He was just... gone..." Mayl nodded softly, tears coming to her eyes, holding her PET closer. At that moment, Roll could have sworn she had felt Mayl's embrace about her. In return, just as if she were there, she had embraced the air that would be Mayl's form. Mayl relaxed as she felt this, unsure of how, but somewhere in her heart, she could feel that her sisterly bond with Roll had grown during this time.  
  
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Me: Hey, this wasn't too bad for my first story!!!  
  
Lan: Considering you wrote this chapter right after you beat the game...  
  
Me: Hey, you're not complaining, are you?  
  
Zero: *looms over Lan with Z-Saber ready*  
  
Lan: Ehhh... n... not at all!!!  
  
Me: Good, that's what I thought. Now if only I could get the danged Italics thing to work... well, hopefully someone will leave me the basic instructions in a review.  
  
Chaud: Fat chance...  
  
Me: *Pulls a rope and watches Gaea Armor X fall onto Chaud* Anyhow, hope you'll like the next chapter!!! And by then, maybe I'll be able to update the Flashback in this one to Italics!!! ^.^ 


	2. I Want To Be Stronger For You

The Pain Of Loss Ch. 2 : I Want To Be Stronger For You  
  
~~I reiterate, folks, I don't own any of Megaman, but this story's mine. -.- You will respect mah authoritah!!!~~  
  
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It had been two weeks after Mayl had confronted Roll about Megaman. Roll had pulled out of her sorrows for the most part and had begun to function properly again. Though this didn't last terribly long, mind you. After those two weeks, Roll had begun to think of how she had let Megaman down by not being strong enough to help him. But this time, she kept herself in a more positive frame of mind. One night, after Mayl went to sleep, Roll sat awake in her PET, contemplating silently to herself within her mind.  
'Megaman... I know that I probably didn't do too terribly much for you when you and the others fought so bravely and hard against Wily and Alpha... but I promise you, I won't let anyone down like that ever again! I'll grow stronger, watch me!!! ... for your sake, Megaman... I will grow as strong as you were...'  
  
The next day, before Mayl had left for school, she had let Roll jack into the web for a while, Roll having explained to her she had a personal agenda she needed to fulfill. By now, Roll was walking through the lower level of Scilab 1. She crossed her arms and sighed, having only run into a few Mettaurs and Canodumb viruses. "With wimps like this, I'll never be strong enough to help the others..." She blinks as she walks to a dead end, then groans, shaking her head. "I must've turned down the wrong path... Oh well, I'll just have to head back..."  
She turned on her heels and slowly starting to walk back. But just as she did, she heard something large land behind her. Before she could turn her body all the way to face what had descended, a pair of razor sharp claws had already slashed into her. Her eyes went wide, too surprised and frightened to even muster a scream, as she was sent flying at least a good 20 feet down that bit of the path. She grit her teeth and propped her upper body up with her arms, though this task taking great effort in itself. She gasped, her Emerald eyes seeming to shrink at the site of the Navi before her. Before her stood the Data Ghost of Beastman in his Alpha form. She grit her teeth, mustering up all the strength she had, and finally managing to stand. Her left arm hung at her side, having been badly injured as it took the full blow of Beastman's slash. "So... it is true after all... you deleted Navis really do have ghosts that wander the Net..."  
Beastman immediately let out a ferocious howl and charged Roll. Roll ducked one of his slashes, taking a slight knick on her right cheek from it. She immediately turned behind him, the yellow ribbons that hung off the back of her head beginning to rotate at an incredible speed. "ROLL FLASH!!!" As she screamed out the name of her attack, she slammed her spinning ribbons into Beastman, each making contact 3 times before she withdrew. Thanks to the special feature added into this attack, she recovered slightly, but only enough to move her left arm a bit.  
Beastman howled out yet again, his yellow mane seeming to flare with rage. Roll's eyes shot wide open as she heard this howl, feeling as if it had pierced her to her very core. Beastman then split into pieces before her eyes, each of his pieces beginning to circle around her at speeds greater than any she had ever experienced in any Net Battle she had ever been in. After a moment, the claws and head struck. Six times Beastman's claws ripped into her skin and suit, leaving bloody gashes and injuries across her arms, chest, and legs. Three more times had Beastman's head, with it's ferocious fangs, torn into her shoulders and her right side. With all these injuries, she could stand no more, and collapsed in a bloody, battered heap on the path. She looked as Beastman reformed piece by piece, and slowly walked forward to deal the final blow to his prey. Roll grit her teeth, tears beginning to flow. She shut her eyes tightly. 'I've failed you, Mega... I'm sorry, I couldn't live up to my word...'  
After a moment, there was a bright flash, immediately followed with a Slash. Roll's entire body tensed, expecting to feel the pain any second now, but a moment passed, then two. Nothing. She finally gathered the courage and strength to open her eyes. At first, she thought she was delirious from blood loss and her injuries, but she then realized she what she thought she was seeing really existed. Before her stood Beastman, taking blow after blow from a Violet blade of energy attached to a warrior donning a helmet built with sunglasses. After a mere three more seconds, the warrior stopped his assault on Beastman with a final charging slash, coming to a halt infront of Roll. Beastman stood still for a moment, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping open. He then let out one final howl. Immediately, Beastman began to glow, and after that, he exploded into a magnificent rain of data that just vanished into the Net. Roll looked to the warrior, a weak, yet relieved smile upon her face. "P... Protoman..."  
Protoman nodded and knelt down, gently lifting her up. His sword vanished from his right arm and with both arms and little to no effort, he scooped her up, cradling her as one would a child. She leaned against him. "I... I'm sorry... I made you waste your time on me when you could be fighting real threa..." She blinked, having had a finger put over her mouth. What truly surprised her though was the fact she only felt one arm beneath her at that time. Protoman then returned to cradling her in both arms, and from there, he began to walk back to Scilab Square. Halfway to their destination, Protoman, the silent warrior he is, finally spoke. "What in the name of the Undernet were you doing fighting Beastman... a Navi at your level has no chance against an Alpha Navi..." Roll lowered her head, closing her eyes. "I... didn't plan to fight him... but he sprung me, and I had no other choice. Besides... I'm tired of being weak... maybe if I hadn't been so weak, Mega'd still be here with us..." Protoman looks to her, then sighs. Beneath his sunglasses, his Violet eyes had begun to show guilt for the remark he made of her being a lower class Navi. As they reached the entrance to Scilab Square, he stopped. "... I'm sorry about what I said... but I want a full explanation on everything... and don't skip on any details..." Roll sighed, nodding, and from there, they entered Scilab Square.  
  
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Me: I toldja that I'd raise the ratings in later chapters!!!  
  
Protoman: Whatever...  
  
Mayl: Hey, Navis don't bleed anyway, what's with Roll taking so much damage?!! *narrows her eyes and gets up in his face with a death glare*  
  
Me: *sweatdrops and hides behind Zero* Hey, relax!!! Look, it'll all be explained later on. There's more to this story than Roll's improvement!!!  
  
Everyone but Roll: ... GET THE ANSWER FROM HIM AT ANY COST!!! *immediately start chasing him as an angry mob*  
  
Roll: Well, I'll say it for him since he'll be a bit busy for a while. See you in the next chapter!!! ^.^ 


	3. I'll Let Him Teach Me

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 3 - I'll Let Him Teach Me ~~I'll bet this is getting old, isn't it people? Yeah, to you and me both. Well, whatever. I can't claim the characters and all for mine, but this story's mine. Try and take credit for it and there'll be a Tonberry after your butts!!! *points to the little green thing with the Chef's knife, hooded cloak and lantern* It's all Karma, baby!!! *blinks and gets slammed by the attack, then lies twitching* Ouch... okay... I'll stop picking on my sister... ~~  
  
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In Scilab Square, Roll was sat down against a wall, while Protoman went to a nearby Subchip Dealer. Roll sighed and hung her head as the memories of her recent battle with Beastman Alpha ran through her head. She gently touched her right side where Beastman's fangs tore through and removed a small chunk of her skin. She jumped and tensed her body almost immediately, withdrawing her fingers from the injury quickly. Protoman returned after a few more moments with a Full Recovery subchip in hand. He looked down to her and gave a soft, silent sigh, able to see Roll's disappointment with herself just by her posture. He knelt down and put his left hand beneath her chin, raising her gaze to meet his own through his dark sunglasses.  
"Roll, listen to me..." As he spoke to her, placed the Subchip to her chest emblem and let it absorb into her and begin the recovery process. "I understand that you don't feel terribly well with yourself... but Beastman is an Alpha Navi now, and now that he's been defeated at the spot his data was bound, he's a wandering Beta Navi ghost. I know about your track record in battle, and you're not terribly experienced with viruses outside of Canodumb and Mettaur types."  
Roll looked from his gaze out the corner of her eyes, blushing lightly in embarrassment at what she felt as was weakness. Protoman closed his eyes beneath his sunglasses, then stood as the Full Recovery subchip finally finished patching up her wounds.  
"But Roll... I could see it in your eyes just before I arrived, before Beastman took you down... you have a fire burning in your soul. A determination that easily matches with Megaman's, and like Megaman's spirit... that determination possibly rivals my own will to win."  
Roll blinked and looked up to him as he spoke to her, having never expected a complement like that from he of all people. She smiled and stood, sighing softly. She then giggled softly. Protoman looked to her, arching an eyebrow behind his shades.  
"Is something funny, Roll...?" Roll shook her head and smiled, looking right into his face. She then turned, looking out over the edge of the square into the information network below. "It's just... I could hear that coming from Gutsman or Glyde... but, from you... well, it's just that, you tend to be one of those types that's not really well practiced at pep talks."  
Protoman nodded softly, then gave a smirk. "Well... here's something you might find as a change of character as well, Roll... I like how determined you are, and I've been the power locked up in you. You may not recognize it, but I did. When you hit Beastman from behind, you did quite the number on him. Normally, a Navi with your amount of battle practice would hardly scratch... but when I got up close and cut him to pieces, I saw a dent in his back."  
Roll's eyes went wide as she heard this. This was something she'd never expected of herself. Of course, she had figured she'd left a little bit of a mark, but maybe only a cut at best. But this had totally taken her off guard. She gazed a Protoman with a look that pretty much asked if he was telling the truth about that. Protoman nodded to her, confirming this. He then continued on.  
"Now Roll... this is the first time I've ever decided to do anything like this for anyone... but, if you decide to accept, I'll take you in as a student, and I'll teach you how to be a more effective Net Navi. But I should warn you, this is going to be far from easy, Roll. I'm not the type to be gentle with anyone, even if it's a training match..."  
Roll stood still, her head low, and her arms crossed just beneath her chest. She thought hard about what she would do, and what Mayl would think about it. She knew immediately that if she had asked Mayl, Mayl would refuse out of fear she would lose her best friend, one she considered a sister. At the same time, Roll knew that if she ever wanted to get stronger, training under Protoman's wing was the most efficient and effective way. She stood still, thinking for another moment or two before she finally raised her head, looking seriously to him.  
"... Protoman... I accept your offer." Protoman gave a nod to her and turned, his white hair flowing smoothly as his body came to a halt. "Good... have Mayl jack you in tonight, and meet me at the Yoka Square by the Message Boards. Our first lesson will take place there." He lifted a hand as if to give a motionless wave, and with that, he walked off. Roll stood there, closing her eyes and sighing. She then turned towards the shortcut to Yai's computer, figuring the quickest way home was through Yai's homepage the Den Area, and from there, a walk back to her own homepage. As she walked, she closed her eyes for a moment, thinking to herself.  
'Megaman... Protoman's shown me a side that I'm sure no one other than Chaud's probably ever seen before. I promise you, though... My feelings for you remain the same, and I'll train under him hard so I can make you proud, and protect the others in your place...'  
  
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Me: Okay people!!! That's it for this chapter!!!  
  
Mayl: But you STILL haven't explained why Roll was bleeding!!!  
  
Me: All in due time, Mayl. Until then, sit'cher butt down and SHADDUP!!!  
  
Lan: Who said you could talk to her that way?!!  
  
Me: I did... *sits in his chair silently for a moment, then points behind Lan at Axl with his Energy Pistols, X with the Megabuster, and Zero with his Z-Saber* ... and if you've got a problem with it, you can take it up with one of them.  
  
Lan: Ehhh... I... I'm fine, really...  
  
Me: Good, that's what I thought. Anyhow, that covers it for this chapter, see you next time!!! 


	4. I Won't Give Up!

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 4 - I Won't Give Up!!! ~~Oye, yo everyone. Bad news, I probably failed Japanese 1... ;.; It's nuuu faiiiir... guess I shouldn't have slacked. But next time, I'll nail it for sure, no slackin', it'll be all hard work!!! *Growls at a crowd mocking him in the background and blasts them to Kingdom Come with an Ultima spell* Now that that's dealt with, on with the story!!!~~  
  
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It was about 11 in E.S.T. ( Electopia Standard Time ), and all was silent. Well, save for the usual viruses and Navi Ghosts haunting the Web. Roll had asked Mayl to leave her online so she could continue on with her "agenda". Mayl, not one to question unless she felt something bad was going on, allowed this. Roll entered Yoka Square via the shortcut that had been created about 3 months ago during WWW's resurrection. She came to a halt in front of the message boards, looking around for Protoman, a slight uneasiness in her eyes.  
"He said to meet him here... so where is he...?" She sighed softly and closed her eyes, letting her other senses go in tune for a few moments before she heard something like the wind being cut. Her eyes shot open and she jumped back, the side of her pink suit being torn open by the slash of a blade of violet energy. She looked to Protoman, her eyes wide in shock. Protoman stood up straight, keeping his energy blade ignited.  
"That's quite impressive, Roll... most Navis would've been cut in two by my attack." Roll grit her teeth, walking forward and getting in his face. Had he even thought of the fact that if she hadn't noticed him, or he'd slipped up, that he could've easily deleted her?!! "Listen to me, buster, what would've happened if you'd screwed up there, huh?!! I'd have had to drag both my halves back to Mayl's homepage!!!" Protoman shrugged, turning his back to her. "But I didn't, did I...?" Roll fumed over this, then looked to the side. Protoman chuckled softly, looking to her. "Come... our first training course is in Yoka 2. Word is that Bubbleman Alpha's found himself in a compressed corner of the Web..." Roll blinked, then sighed, lowering her head. "But, Mayl doesn't have the Compress program for the Navi Customizer... I can't follow you onto those tiny paths."  
Protoman nodded, then tossed her a white, three piece block. She caught it and tilted her head a bit, then looked to him. Protoman just looked to the gate that led to the virus infested Yoka area. "Now you don't have a right to say you can't follow me... come on." He began to walk towards the gate, Roll stood there, a light blush coming over her face of embarrassment, but at the same time, of great flattery. Without wasting another second, she installed the program and dashed forward after Protoman.  
The battle through Yoka 1 towards Yoka 2 was one that had easily gotten to Roll, especially since she'd never really dealt with viruses of this breed before. These made the viruses she encountered in Yumland during the days of Gospel seem like cakewalk! Nonetheless, she trudged on after Protoman. At about half past Midnight, they were just about at the point where Bubbleman's ghost had been spotted. Roll stood silently as she watched the small area of the Net where data had been corrupted, and occasionally twitched and flashed as if it were being ripped through. Protoman looked to her and nodded gently. "I hope you're prepared for this, Roll... Bubbleman's just as challenging, maybe even more so, than Beastman was..." Roll gave a gentle nod to Protoman. "I trust your word, and I'll be careful, Protoman..."  
They had began to walk forward towards Bubbleman's corrupt data stream, when disaster struck the two. Immediately, a wall of green flames shot up between Roll and Protoman, the sudden shock of it pushing a startled Protoman forward and into battle with Bubbleman Alpha. At the same time, a huge pillar of green flames shot skyward before Roll's eyes. A dark figure, hunched over like a Gorilla, emerged from the hole in the Net floor caused by the flame. She gasped as she realized who it was as the flames died down. Before her stood Flamman Beta, a Navi that in it's basic form alone dwarfed the powers of even Beastman Beta. She stepped back, but was greeted by the intense heat of the green flame barrier. Flamman, definitely a Navi of few words, wasted no time in his assault. With a fierce cry, he sent a huge wave of green flames forward towards Roll.  
Roll immediately dashed around the flames, aware of their immense power, but at the same time, aware of their easily surpassed speed. By the time Flamman's flames had reached where she was standing, she was already standing beside Flamman. With a sharp cry, she let loose a barrage with her ribbons. She made contact with her ribbons at least 10 times before she noticed there was a problem. Flamman, who had most definitely taken the full force of her attack, hadn't even flinched!!! Flamman gave off a demonic laugh and shifted his dark, piercing gaze to her. Before she could react, Flamman had nailed her with a close range blast of green flames, sending her flying back into one of his two candles. She slouched against it, gritting her teeth, trying to force herself back up as Flamman began to lumber towards her clumsily.  
Protoman by now had most definitely cut Bubbleman and his pathetic ego clean in half, deleting the Navi's Alpha form once and for all. He turned to gaze at Roll's battle with Flamman Beta just in time to see her take the full impact of his flames. His eyes went wide beneath the helmet, desperately concerned for his student's well being. Without thinking, he charged forward, and leaped, attempting to bound over the barrier of green flames. But just as he was above the barrier, the unexpected happened. As if sensors were planted in them, the flames shot up and engulfed Protoman. Protoman cried out in pain, arching his back as the flames slowly began to eat away at his data. Roll's attention had shifted from Flamman to Protoman and his current state of pain. Her eyes shot wide open in fear for her comrade and teacher. "P... Protoman!!! Hold on, I'll be there as soon as I can!!!" She finally forced herself to stand, but just in time to get one of Flamman's powerful hands about her throat and slamming her into the candle, slowly pushing her into the white wax. Flamman grinned, his obvious intent to engulf her into the candle and let it burn through her data itself. Roll struggled with all her might, but to no avail. Her eyes swelled with tears, and the tears almost immediately began to dash down her cheeks. She shut her eyes tightly, quivering with fear as her face began to be engulfed in the slick, white substance, thinking to herself all of the time.  
'Megaman... Protoman... now I've failed two of my best friends... I can't believe myself, I'm too weak to be of any help!!!' Just as she was about to give up hope, her emblem began to give off a soft pulse. Immediately, she felt a new power grow inside of her, one she'd never tapped into before. Her eyes shot open, her pupils and irises gone, replaced by a shining white. She screamed out and expelled massive amounts of energy, throwing Flamman back and annihilating both of his candles, this causing the flames that had just about deleted Protoman to halt and allow his partly conscious form to drop to the ground. Roll floated above the ground, her body suit beginning to glow white, creating an aura over her. Flamman's eyes went wide, and he desperately launched his attack at full force upon Roll. Roll, who was well aware of this, merely extended her hand and caught the flames, then drove them in half off the sides of the path. Her ribbons began to spin at an incredible rate in mid-air, a wind kicking up about her. She grit her teeth, her aura having vanished into her twirling ribbons now, her eyes shut tightly as she concentrated. After a final few seconds, her eyes shot open and glared right at Flamman. She spread her arms and legs out, throwing her head back. "ROLL HURRICANE!!!" She touched down for the most brief of all instances, and immediately did a front flip, sending the Hurricane she'd created with her ribbons forward. Flamman screamed out as it engulfed him, deleting him piece by piece until nothing was left but a green flame that flew off into the depths of Yoka 2.  
Protoman, who had watched every last bit of this, lay stunned before Roll. Roll floated gently, her eyes shut as the power began to die out. Her eyes shot open and she flinched, the power fading immediately. Roll dropped to her knees on the ground, then slumped face forward on the path. Protoman merely sat up, unable to believe his shaded violet eyes. "Maybe... she should be the one giving me lessons on Net Battling..."  
  
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Me: Heh, whaddya say to that?!! Not bad, huh guys?!!  
  
Lan and Megaman in the background: *silent and shocked by Roll's power*  
  
Zero: Hey, I haven't seen Mayl today, by now she would've pestered you about Roll...  
  
Me: Um, I let her have a break since she didn't really have much of a casting today...  
  
Megaman X: *Drags Mayl from the closet, bound and gagged, screaming her head off furiously through the gag* I found her...  
  
Axl: Well, I certainly think it's an improvement... she talks too much...  
  
Me and everyone else with a good head on their shoulders: *Ducks for cover in a bomb shelter and watches Mayl tear Axl to shreds after first tearing her binds to shreds*  
  
Roll: Glad that wasn't me...  
  
Me: Exactly... A... Anyhow, that's it for this chapter, update ya later!!! ^.^;;; She's so after me next... 


	5. What's Going On With Me?

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 5 - What's Going On With Me...? ~~Whoohoo!!! Chapter 5 already, I'm on a streak lately, I guess!!! Well people, you're in for a long haul, you know that story's that move as quickly as this get a lot of chapters!!! *Hears groaning from the rest, then points to a very irritated and caged Sigma* If you have any complaints, take it with him... *Listens to the total silence and grins* Great... Anyhow, I don't own jack squat other than this story and Roll's newest technique!!! Boom babeh, enjoy!!!~~  
  
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Roll moaned softly and slowly came around in her PET. Her eyes fluttered open and gazed outside the glass window that acted as a barrier between the Cyber and Real Worlds. Immediately, she recognized the area outside, the Scilab. Mayl's eyes went wide as she heard the familiar beep of her PET. She and the others dashed forward, Mayl dropping to her knees and looking into the PET, tears in her eyes.  
"Roll!!! Roll, are you going to be alright?!!" Roll moaned lightly and rubbed her head, giving a weak nod. "Yes, Mayl... B... but what happened to me...? The last thing I remember was being absorbed into Flamman's candle... then... I wake up here... How long've I been out..."  
Lan sighed, having been with Mayl the entire time. A smile graced his face as he looked to Roll. "You've been out for the past week, and not without good reason... Protoman and Chaud showed us that move you did, it was amazing!!! I've never seen anyone deal with a Beta Navi so quickly!!!" Roll blinked, sitting on her knees in the PET. "What attack...?" Lan blinks a little bit. "You've gotta be kidding me, you don't remember the attack that you annihilated Flamman with?!!" Yai narrowed her eyes at him, giving the same glare she always did when she felt her pushed the line a bit. "Hey, watch it Lan. She had it rough dealing with him!!!" Lan sweatdropped, sighing. Chaud, who had only joined them on business of studying Roll's hidden abilities, walked forward and linked both his PET and Mayl's together.  
"Protoman, transfer the video feed of one week ago of her battle with Flamman..." Protoman gave a stiff nod and sent the feed as instructed. Roll viewed the video, taking it in for a moment before she sat there in shock. She had a hard time believing that was her at all. The only real thing that gave her grounds to believe such was the fact she emerged from that candle halfway through being sucked in. She just sat there, shaking her head. "I... I can't believe it..."  
  
It had been a week since Roll had awakened, all in all a grand total of two and a fourth months since Megaman was deleted. Roll had been suspended from Net use for going behind Mayl's back and training on such dangerous levels without her consent. Needless to say, Chaud hadn't gotten off easily either, as Mayl screamed at him in a way that made even he and Protoman turn white in the faces from fear. Roll sighed as she sat at the sealed off link to the net via the USB Cable of her PET. She blinked a little bit, her gloves beginning to give off a gentle blue pulse. She stood and looked to them, curious as to what was happening, until she heard another pulse behind her. She turned on her heels and came to a halt, her eyes wide as she saw the gate of the USB Cable's entry glowing.  
"What... what does this mean...?" She thought hard on this for a few moments before she decided she may as well touch the gate. She walked forward and came to a stop before the glowing doorway. Hesitantly, she reached both her hands up and brought them to rest against the gate. Almost immediately, she vanished, appearing in mid-air above Mayl's homepage floor. This only lasted a second before the wonders of gravity set in though and sent her crashing down on her butt. Roll grit her teeth, rubbing her slightly sore bottom and standing. "I'll remember... to work on my landings..." She looked around, that not bothering her anymore, the real topic at hand the fact she'd gotten onto the web without being linked in. She thought hard on this for a moment, but finally decided to just shrug it off and explore the web.  
  
That night, Mayl returned home, a great smile of pride across her face about beating Lan and the others time and time again at one of his new fighting games. She giggled and walked into her room, looking around it as she flipped on the lights. "Roll, I'm home!!! And I've won a few new Battlechips for you!!!" She blinked as she got no response from her PET. She walked to it and knelt down, dropping her backpack beside her. She attempted to remove it from sleep mode, but to no avail. Her eyes went wide as she found a small message in red lettering at the corner of the screen that read, "No Navi present. Please upload a Navi into the PET." Mayl immediately panicked and dashed to her phone, picking it up and dialing Lan.  
Lan, at the same time, had been throwing a small pity party over his loss to Mayl. He blinked a bit as his self-pity was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. Immediately he sat up and picked it up, putting it to his ear. "Hello, this is the Hikari residence, Lan speaking." He pulled his ear away from the phone and grit his teeth as Mayl screamed panicked into the phone. Immediately Lan put his mouth to the receiver, being careful to keep his ears at a distance for the time. "Mayl, you've gotta calm down and speak to me calmly!!! I won't be able to listen too terribly well if my hearing's shot!!!"  
Mayl grit her teeth on the other side of the phone, tears in her eyes. She calmed a bit as Lan instructed, then continued, the anxiety still in her voice. "Lan, Roll's not in her PET!!! I don't know how, but when I checked for all the Navis online, it found Roll's name up there!!! When I tried a search, my computer surged and crashed, I need help Lan!!!"  
Lan grit his teeth and nodded softly. "Right, I see... I'll call up Dex and see if I can get Chaud to help us too! You get Yai to get Glyde out on the net!!! As for us, come over and we'll do a search for her from my computer, okay?!! Okay, I'll see you then, Mayl!!!" He hung up, then immediately picked the receiver back up and dialed Dex's number. "Hello, Dex?! This is Lan, listen, we've got a situation!!!"  
  
By now, Roll had found a quiet place to sit in Beach Square and contemplate about the events that had taken place. She shut her eyes, hugging herself and whispering softly. "None of this makes any sense... first everything's going South for Protoman and I... and then immediately, I get this strange power that totally takes over me and lets me thrash Flamman into nothing... Mega, I'm scared... Help me through this..." She lowered her head and brought her knees to her chest, hugging them there as tightly as she could. "... I'm so scared, Mega... Help me, please..."  
  
By now, Protoman was wandering Beach Square silently, searching for Roll as Chaud had instructed him. What caught his attention was the sound of a female Navi with quickened breathing, obviously in hysterics. He turns and walked slowly towards her position, finding Roll making a useless attempt to sob silently to herself. He knelt down and looked at her, not even needing to see her face to look into her emotions and see how sad she was. He sighed and reached out, letting a hand come to rest on her shoulder. Roll blinked a bit as she felt the comforting hand and rose her head, her gaze falling upon Protoman. Protoman kept knelt before her, giving a gentle nod to try and reassure her in his own way.  
Roll grit her teeth, then threw her arms about his neck and cried into his chest from there. Protoman sat there, stunned by this sudden action. After a moment, the Red clad warrior brought his arms about her back and embraced her in return, stroking her ponytail. Despite it's original metallic look, something about it had changed. He stopped stroking her hair and reached around back on his head, grasping his hair a moment and getting a feel of it. Right after, he brought his hand forward and began stroking her hair again, taking a gaze at it over her back, shocked to find it had changed. Instead of looking like a single plate of steel, it had grown textured, much like his own hair. He closed his eyes, thinking to himself as he comforted the young lady in his arms. 'There's something way different about her, even than Megaman's differences... and I intend to find out...'  
  
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Protoman: Now you're making me sound like the bad guy or something...  
  
Me: So? Maybe you will be, and maybe you won't. It depends on what I write next, so deal.  
  
Chaud: If you don't clear this up, I'll sic Protoman on you...  
  
Me: Oh really now... *Smirks and looks towards a bedroom door* C'mere!!! I've got a little job for you!!!  
  
Mayl: *Enters through the door and crosses her arms* Something wrong, sir?  
  
Me: *Grins* I told her why Roll was bleeding in return for her body guardswomanship, uhh... however you say that. Well, anyhow, still want me to spill the beans on my story?  
  
Protoman and Chaud: *Sweatdrop enormously and slowly step back* We're good... no complaints...  
  
Me: That's what I thought. *Tosses Mayl a Lan plushie and watches her dive back into her room for it* Good girl!!! Anyhow people, I'll update you in the next chapter, until then, later!!! 


	6. Mayl's Confession

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 6 - Mayl's Confession ~~Wow, it's really been a bit since I've updated the story. Hehehe, guess I got sidetracked by holidays and rollerblading and all... *Looks to his thrashed blades and sweatdrops* I'm in the market, ya see... Eh-hem, anyhow, some of you have been saying that this is going from a MegaRoll fic to a ProtoRoll. I assure you that this is staying on track as MegaRoll, or may Gutsman land on my head!!! *Knocks away a Gutsman.EXE falling towards him* Don't test your luck... Anyhow, in other news, I've also been getting questions on when I'm going to incorporate the Meitto into the story. For those who don't know, Meitto is Meiru and Netto, Mayl and Lan's Japanese names. I was hoping on English, but, Layl and Man kind of sound weird for pairing names... Well, enough wasting time. Today's that day, folks!!! Now, on with the story!!!~~  
  
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Roll slowly calmed herself as she lay in Protoman's arms. During that time, he relayed his newfound information to Chaud, which had definitely more than surprised him. He sighed, shutting his eyes, speaking softly. "Protoman... protect Roll for now, I need to get to a phone and call Mayl and the others." The white-haired warrior gave a nod as Chaud disconnected his PET from a Jack-In port at Scilab. Chaud turned on a heel and headed upstairs, sighing softly as he thought to himself. 'Roll's growing more powerful and changing every day... Something about this is strange... and I intend to get to the bottom of it.'  
  
Mayl and Lan stood together in an empty subway car, Mayl currently held in Lan's arms as she cried. Lan sighed, shutting his eyes and resting a hand on the back of her head, not wanting to admit it, but a heavy blush growing upon his cheeks. Mayl grit her teeth and looked up to him, shaking her head as she spoke weakly.  
"L... Lan... wh... what if Roll gets hurt again...? I... I just couldn't live with myself if she..." Her sorrowful speech was stopped as Lan put his index and middle fingers upon her lips. She blinked a bit, blushing softly at his touch, though highly inobvious due to the fact her face was already a little red from the hysterics she was going through. Lan smiled softly to her in a way he'd never smiled to anyone before, his hand resting on her cheek.  
"Mayl... I promise, Roll's strong... She's going to be just fine, we both know that power she holds..." Mayl's blush increased, even his voice tone different. She looked down and gave a soft nod. "But... I've heard of Navis who've gotten too much power and got deleted because of it... And we hardly know the first thing on this power of hers, what if it deletes her, Lan?!!"  
Lan sighed softly, shutting his eyes and shaking his head. "I can't say, Mayl... But... I have a good feeling she'll be alright..." Mayl looked to him, giving a soft nod. She dried her tears on the wrist of her sleeve and gazed into his Hazel eyes, her blush nearly covering all of her cheeks.  
"Lan... I..." She blinked, snapping out of it as she heard a ring. Lan raised an eyebrow and reached into his pocket, pulling out a cell phone he received since he didn't have a Navi to use his PET with and keep in contact. "It's Chaud..." He picked up and started to speak with Chaud, while in the meantime, Mayl sighed and sat down. Though her worry for Roll had diminished, a new pain grew in her heart. The desire to confess to Lan her true feelings. Lan nodded softly and hung up, looking to Mayl.  
"We're switching trains to Scilab, Chaud and Protoman found Roll." Mayl's face lit up, a smile worn once more. Though at the same time, it was a bittersweet feeling because of both emotions competing in her heart. Lan walked forward and sat beside Mayl, looking to her. "Anyhow, now that we haven't got anything to worry about, what were you about to tell me?"  
Mayl bit her bottom lip, shutting her eyes, no longer under the comfort of his eyes, needing to summon upon her own will to speak up. She opened her eyes a little, gazing at the floor as she thought. 'Lan... I want to tell you, but... what if you don't return my feelings... Or you don't like me for it anymore...' She sighed, then whispered softly to herself. "I guess... I'll just have to see..."  
She looked to Lan, her light brown eyes looking into his, though this time, her will to speak alone is ready, without the comfort of Lan's gaze itself. She suddenly moved closer to Lan, sitting right next to him. Lan backed his head up a bit, blushing more than before as Mayl did this. Mayl gently took his hand and spoke.  
"Lan... I... I love you..." Lan's eyes grew wide at this, his blush covering practically his entire face. Mayl looked down, blushing about half as much as he. Lan took a moment, thinking to himself in that time. 'She... she loves me? But... I thought I was the only one of us who felt that way...' He smiled gently and reached forward with his free hand, letting it come to rest upon her cheek. Mayl's eyes went wide and without any hesitation, she rose her head, looking yet again into his eyes. He nodded softly, speaking gently to her, though definitely nervous about saying such to her.  
"Mayl... I love you too... I... have since I was little... Guess that I just never had the guts to bring it up..." Mayl sat there, shocked for a moment, despite the fact this was what she was hoping with all of her heart. She immediately embraced him, her arms thrown about his neck as tears of joy swelled up behind her eyes. Lan blinked, then smiled, hugging her back. They both drew their heads back, gazing into the eyes of one another for one final moment before they sealed their love for one another with one last action. Each of them gave the other at once their first kiss.  
  
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Me: Not to toot my own horn, but that was pretty good for the first time I ever wrote up something like this!!!  
  
Mayl: *Looks to Lan and blushes, smiling lightly*  
  
Lan: *Blushes as well, returning her smile, then glares to Death* B... But jeez, Death, you didn't have to make it so mushy...  
  
Mayl: Ohhh, you boys have no view for romance... But... he could've made it a bit less like we were going for the whole thing...  
  
Me: You think you're complaining... Jeez, I had to rope up Dex because he wouldn't stop punching the back of my head, that was like a gnat, I swear...  
  
Everyone: *Looks to the vibrating closet door*  
  
Me: Don't worry, folks. He'll be out as soon as he calms down, which should be by the next chapter... *grins and holds up a Robot Cat and Dog* Well, I'm off to shut him up. See ya next time around!!! 


	7. Growing and Changing All the Time

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 7 - Growing and Changing All the Time ~~Heh, Chapter 7 now, folks!!! I have gotten some good responses about Chapter 6, so I'm guessing for a first time I ever wrote something that sentimental, it was pretty good, not to toot my own horn. *Kicks a Trumpy off screen, sweatdropping slightly.* Ehehehe, virus problem... Weeeeeeeellll, anyhow. I've also got news for you people. Now, this has been an ethic for me for a long time, but unless it's a one shot, then there's no way I'll start another story until I finish the first. So no distractions, folks!!! Enough idle talk now, time to get this thing on!!!~~  
  
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Mayl and Lan walked together hand in hand into the Scilab. Yai blinked a bit as she saw this, then giggled and smiled softly to the two. "Well, two things of good news in one day, hm? We find Roll in one piece, and now we have love birds on the scene." Dex blinked a bit as he heard this, turning quickly. His eyes practically bulged out of his head at this, going pale in the face and wearing a blank expression as he thought to himself.  
'She... She's with Lan... and... they... that look...' Dex immediately fell back, dazed. Lan and Mayl sweatdropped, looking to each other. Lan was the first of the couple to speak up. "Maybe... we should've told him first..." Mayl nodded softly, looking to Dex slightly worried. Chaud sighed, shutting his eyes.  
"If you're done with the idle chatter, can we get on with this? I need to talk with you guys... without Gutsman and Glyde hanging around..." Yai blinked, then nodded softly, walking to Dex and grabbing his PET from around his neck. "You heard him... hang out in the square for a bit." She walked to the computer and jacked Glyde and Gutsman in. As soon as they formed, she disconnected the USB cables to cut off the vocal link. Chaud nodded a "thank you" to Yai, then looked to Mayl, his gaze as piercing as ever.  
"Protoman and I have been noticing a difference in Roll lately... and it's not just her powers, either... Protoman, bring up your original visuals of Roll's form and the one's from the other day." Protoman nodded and sent the files as ordered. Immediately, two pictures of Roll flashed on one of the empty screens, side by side. Lan walked forward, crossing his arms.  
"So? She looks the exact same..." Roll sweatdropped and shook her head, sighing softly. "I should've guessed you wouldn't notice... you ARE Lan, after all..." Lan looked to her, his eye twitching slightly as Mayl giggled. "Sorry Lan, I have to side with Roll on this..." Chaud cleared his throat, drawing the attention back to his person.  
"As I was saying..." He walked up to the screen nodded to Protoman, who immediately turned the visuals so Roll's back was facing. He pointed to the current picture of Roll, right below the ribbon. "Look closely at her hair in the first visual, then at this one..." Lan gazed for a few moments, then, after it finally got through to his brain, he looked to Chaud, slightly shocked.  
"Her hair's different?!" Chaud nodded silently. Lan walked forward and growled, getting right in his face. "That's it?!! Jeez, so she was modified, it doesn't mean anything special!!!" Mayl sighed, looking to the side. "Actually, Lan... I never changed Roll's looks, not since I first received her..." Lan looked to her, blinking a little bit. "You mean..."  
Chaud, without any hesitation, pushed Lan back, definitely a bit peeved about him getting up in his face like that. "Her body's being reformatted as we speak. Her hair used to be just a piece of metal, now it has texture like Protoman's. She's growing and developing, Lan..." Lan thought of this, then looked down, remembering the Guts Style program installed in Megaman as Chaud said this. This hit Roll too. She sat on her knees and shut her eyes, whispering softly to herself. "Megaman... I miss you so much... I wish you would come back to me..." She sighed and stood, turning and starting to walk away. Protoman looked to her, crossing his arms.  
"And where do you think you're going...?" Roll looked to him, her arms crossed under her chest, her eyes filled with pain and sorrow. "I... I need some time to myself..." Without a word, she walked to the Scilab gate and exited onto the web. Mayl sighed, looking at her PET. "Roll... She really does miss him..." Lan sighed, embracing Mayl gently, knowing well that she was hurt by Roll's pain. "It's okay... we all do, Mayl... We all do..."  
  
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Me: Well, I haven't ended a chapter on a sad or sad-ish note since the first...  
  
Protoman: Good thing we all know the outcome and how Megaman...  
  
Me: *Slams him on the head with Amy Rose's Piko Piko Hammer* DON'T SPOIL THE END OF THE GAME FOR THE GUYS WHO HAVEN'T PLAYED IT, YA MORON!!!  
  
Mayl: *Sweatdrops as she watches Protoman stumble into a virus field while he's disoriented* Eeeehhh... On another note. the next chapter's going to have a bit more action. He said he's been missing it and he has a few ideas in mind.  
  
Me: Don't you go into detail, Mayl...  
  
Mayl: Oh, don't pull that with me, you don't hit girls, it's against your ethics!!!  
  
Me: True... but... *Points to a very agitated Cream the Rabbit with an M-16 from The Rogue's Gallery, an online comic he reads* It's not against hers...  
  
Mayl: *Backs up slowly into a room and shuts the door*  
  
Me: I thought so. ^.^ Anyhow, that's it for this chapter. I'll see ya!!! C'mon, squirt, O.M.A.-Sama and Jen-Sama'll have fits if their Punching Bag isn't returned soon... *Drags Cream off and back to The Rogue's Gallery now as she starts to whine pathetically*  
  
Sidenote: For those who are curious to my reference to the poor, cheating fuzzball and TRG, this is the homepage.  
  
trg.fireball20xl.com/  
  
Just up WWW. infront of the TRG in the code, copy and paste it, then read the comics!!! I guarantee, you'll like. 


	8. One Heart, Two Navis

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 8 - One Heart, Two Navis ~~*Sighs and walks on screen, looking at the audience reading this.* Okay, folks, I'm gonna lay something out plain and simple. A couple people have decided that I should change my writing style. Now, I'm alright with one of the earlier suggestions, but that was the ONLY ONE I WAS GOING TO USE!!! I don't want anyone else suggesting on my writing style, either ya like it, or ya don't, got it? Good. Now then, I've also gotten character requests. The thing is, I don't put characters in on a whim. I put them in as I see fit. If I see no use for them, they remain to collect dust... *Looks at a whining Dr. Wily, then growls and kicks the old man down a canyon* AAHHH SHADDUP OLD MAN!!! YER SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD ANYWAYS!!! Eh-hem... Finally, I've gotten A LOT of questions on when certain events are going to happen, like romance pairings, or when the Blue Bomber'll be back. Fact of the matter is, I wing it, and play it by ear for those who don't know what winging is. Ah, screw it. I'll leave it at this, I go one step at a time and no faster. I make it at my own pace, and that's how it's gonna stay, alright? Alright. Anyhow, now that I've cleared this up, on with the story!!!~~  
  
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Roll walked slowly through Scilab 1, tears running down her cheeks. She let her head hang low, not wanting anyone to see her sorrows, wishing to deal with this pain alone for now. "M... Megaman... I... I know I should be stronger than this now... it's nearly been two months... but... I can't stop thinking about you... Wh... what'm I supposed to do...?" She continued walking until she reached the cul-de-sac of the path where Alpha's data was held. She looked up at a hole in the web walls, blinking a little. As she dried her tears, she sighed and stepped through, immediately touching down on the Undernet's darkest regions.  
She looked around slowly, her hands clasping each other infront of the emblem upon her chest, definitely intimidated by all the strong viruses and rogue Navis wandering about. "I... think I should head back..." She turned to face the hole, but her eyes went wide as she saw a Scilab maintenance team sealing it. She rushed a bit forward until she was at the hole, reaching forward for it, but she was too late, as it vanished from her grip. She caught herself from taking a plunge into the empty pit below and stepped back, shaking a little in fear. "... Now what do I do...?"  
  
Mayl lied asleep against Lan as he held her, brushing away the another tear. He shut his eyes, shaking his head and thinking to himself. 'She loves Roll so much... Just the same way I loved Megaman... no... the same way I loved Hub... I can't let her go through what I have... I know it's not the same as losing a brother twice... but, Roll's just like a little sister to her... and, if Roll were to be deleted, I don't think Mayl could stand it...' Chaud leaned against a wall, sipping some coffee as he watched Lan's eyes, able to read into his emotions, just like anyone else. He shut his eyes, shaking his head and speaking up just enough for Lan to hear, but staying quite enough so that Mayl could retain her partially peaceful slumber.  
"I can't protect that pink Navi, Lan... sources all over say they saw her take the gate to the Undernet that Drillman created. You and I both know that for now, we're powerless. The Undernet is even more expansive than our Net, so for all we know, she could be fighting Freezeman's Navi ghost..." Lan gave a weak nod in response and looked down, shutting his eyes, thinking to himself once again now. 'Roll... please come back... for our sakes... and especially for Mayl's...'  
  
Ironically enough, Chaud's statement was nearly accurate. At the moment, Roll was in a heated battle with a Navi ghost, but not Freezeman's. Currently, she was pitted up against Drillman Omega, and just barely losing the battle. Drillman chuckled evilly, his drills whirring at speeds that not even Megaman could have experienced. Roll held a bleeding arm, the material of her suit having been torn off, revealing actual, lightly tanned skin. Drillman put one hand forward, aiming right for her. "Don't bother running, brat... you're between a pitfall and your death sentence..." Roll grit her teeth, looking behind her at the empty pit she nearly fell in when she was trying to return to the Scilab area. She shut her eyes, shaking her head and gazing forward.  
Her timing was perfect enough to catch the drill coming at her. She barely ducked it, though the tip caught the piece of her suit covering her head. The material and her ribbons were torn off, and another couple humane features were revealed. She now had ears, and the hair was falling at all sides of her due to the loss of not only the yellow ribbons she attacked with, but the green ribbon that had been caught with the material. She panted softly as she knelt down, gazing at Drillman with a fury in her eyes near that of when she was fighting Flamman. Drillman, not at all intimidated, walked forward and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her up and chuckling as his drill looped around and hovered at his side.  
"You're a strange little Navi... every one of us has a set design, but yours, it's different... and this..." He ejected the drill on his other hand and reached forward, grasping her unclothed arm and chuckling. "... is unheard of in a Navi... just what ARE you...?" Roll shut her eyes shaking against him wildly, Drillman shrugged and threw her to the ground, his arms crossed. "It doesn't matter... all that is for sure... is that I've played around enough. See you in oblivion, little girl!!!" He threw his right hand forward, sending the drills at her at a blinding speed that even Protoman or Bass would struggle to match. Roll sat up slowly, then looked up, her eyes aglow once more. The drills stopped in their place and shattered into thousands of steel pieces, bouncing on the ground and falling into the pit. Drillman's eyes went wide at this and he slowly stepped back.  
"N... no one's ever destroyed my drills before, they were the strongest of all cyber metals!!! Wh... what are you?!!" Roll smirked and walked forward, her hair raising a little behind her as she lifted off the ground and floated into his face, knowing he was now cornered on the edge of the pit. As she spoke, a less dominant voice could be heard mixing with her own, feminine, yet more powerful and demanding. "You want to know what I am...? I am Roll.EXE... and I am going to delete you and all who dare ever stand in the way of my friends again..." She placed her hands on his chest, smirking as her hands glowed a light pink color. "ROLL BURST!!!" Immediately, Drillman was fired back, thousands of holes through his upper body from an energy wave Roll had drawn from the most untapped regions of her spirit. She watched Drillman fall into the pit below and listened to his screams before he was deleted. After this, she turned and vanished, reappearing in Scilab Square. She seemed to catch everyone's attention, Protoman's especially as he looked to her. She gently touched down and sighed, her hair falling against her back and legs. As her Emerald iris' glows faded, she collapsed on the floor. Protoman and the others rushed forward to check on her, as any would do.  
While Roll was unconscious, within her mind, the same dominant feminine voice spoke to her, matched with body totally enveloped in the shadows, cradling Roll within her arms. "Roll... don't worry... I'll never let anyone of us come to harm again... no matter what the cost..." The shadowy figure grinned and ran a hand through Roll's hair as she sat there, awaiting for her to come to.  
  
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Me: Well, now. I'm sure this is gonna leave everyone in suspense!!!  
  
Mayl: Ummm, just who is that anyhow?  
  
Me: You wanna know? Sorry, gotta wait 'til next time, Mayl.  
  
Sai: Aww, but c'mon. Not even Miyu can tap into your head, so tell us already!!!  
  
Me: I toldja, no dice!!!  
  
Lan: *Stands with Megaman, both of their arms crossed.* Remember, Mega's only dead in the story, he came back...  
  
Me: Umm... you guys... wanna know that bad, huh...?  
  
Every Net Battler that had a unique name and Navi that was recognized in the show and game: *Nods firmly, gazing at him curiously, and slightly angrily.*  
  
Me: *Sighs softly* Umm... well, truth is... y'know how I like to wing it and all...  
  
Chaud and Protoman in unison: You didn't...  
  
Me: I have no idea yet just who the Heck she is...  
  
Everyone: *Falls anime style, twitching on the ground.*  
  
Me: Eheheh, time to run before I'm killed by these guys, not even Axl wants to help me now. See you folks in the next chapter!!! *Charges off to the nearest fallout shelter* 


	9. A Familiar, Yet Unknown Figure

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 9 - A Familiar, Yet Unknown Figure ~~ Me: Gahhhh... today's totally blown on SO many levels!!!! Zero: *Blinks and sips a coffee* What makes you say that? Me: Let me explain... I nearly got run over 3 times, I was behind on my time because it was MEGA windy and my Mom held me up with a lecture on cleaning my room, which I just finished, on top of that, mall security busted me AGAIN for roller blading through the parking lot. They said if I'm caught again, I'm getting arrested for trespassing. Mayl: *Sweatdrops slightly, tilting her head* Guess that cuts your route short... Me: HELL NO!!! I'm just gonna go mega stealth, all ninja-ish... . . Lan: ... riiiiiiiight... can we get on with the story? I wanna know what that other person in Roll's mind is!!! Me: Fine, fine, fine, ya whiner... LET'S GET THIS OOOOONNN!!!! ~~  
  
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Roll came around slowly, lying on a table with probes scanning her body. She blinked a little bit and tried to sit up, but was halted by the restrains about her waist, wrists, and ankles. Protoman stood at her side, shaking his head. "Relax... they're just copying your basic data to examine it, and they're checking you for any permanent damage..." Roll blinked, then gave a gentle nod, shutting her eyes and lying back, sighing softly as she thought to herself.  
'So... I remember what happened this time... but, why did I turn into such a brutal killer...?' Just then, a voice echoed in the back of her mind. 'Because, my dear Roll, you wanted it...' Roll's eyes shot open as she heard this, frightened slightly at first. She looked down, left and right, unable to see anyone. She even tilted her head back to see if anyone was behind her, but all she saw was the wall. She shook her head, looking blankly at the light gleaming down upon her body.  
  
Mayl paced back and forth just outside the Scilab's Virus Lab, her arms crossed. Her eyes were filled with worry for her dear friend, unable to help but wonder what was going on. Chaud opened his eyes from his position up against the wall, glaring coldly at her.  
"Will you cut that out...? It's not going to get anything done, you're just wasting energy..." Mayl stopped immediately, then turned and walked to him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and lifting him a little bit off the ground. "I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN, EUGENE CHAUD!!! I SWEAR, I'LL..." She was holding a fist up in the air with her free hand, but she blinked as she felt another hand upon it. She looked to the one who grabbed her hand, Lan. He shook his head, and she nodded in response, lowering her head. She had calmed, but this also made her lose the strength any person gets when they go into a rage like that, causing her to drop Chaud onto his butt. Chaud just sat there, staring at her. His eyes seemed to shrink to the size of beads, and his body was shaking as though there were an earthquake beneath him. Gutsman and Glyde sweatdropped enormously, definitely knowing it wouldn't be wise to get Mayl mad at them. After a few more moments, Chaud had regained his composure, and Dr. Hikari walked out, holding Mayl's PET.  
"There's no damage, but one thing's for certain, she has a growth program in her..." Lan blinked, then walked up to his father, looking right up at him. "Dad... do... you mean it's like..." Dr. Hikari shook his head, sighing. "No. It's alike, Lan, but different in many, many ways... even I can't come to explain it yet. Anyhow, Mayl, leave Roll in sleep mode for the night. I think her AI's been stressed enough for the day." Mayl gave a gentle nod and embraced her PET, tears of joy and relief running down her cheeks. "Thank you, Dr. Hikari..." Dr. Hikari smiled and nodded, slipping his hands into his pants pockets. "Anytime. Oh, by the way, one more thing. Congratulations to the both of you." He chuckled softly, causing Lan and Mayl to blush a deep crimson. The only reason he'd gotten word on this entire event, including Lan and Mayl's relationship, was that he had just walked into the Virus Lab after a meeting to do some research. Chaud cleared his throat as he jacked Protoman out of the Virus Lab's computer. "I... I'll be going now..." Dr. Hikari blinked as Chaud walked out, noticing how shook up he was.  
  
While Dr. Hikari pondered Chaud's fear, and the others did all they could to keep quiet about it to save trouble, Roll dreamt inside her PET. Though this dream was far more than just a simple dream, it was communication. "Who are you? And what are you doing inside my head?" The figure wrapped her arms about Roll's neck from behind, embracing her. White hair fell forward from the shadows. Upon her body were black boots and gloves with a gray bodysuit, much like Roll's. The only real difference was a breastplate upon her, much like that of the Zero Virus'. "My dear Roll... for now... I will leave it at this... I am someone you know very well, yet you have never met with before." Roll blinked, then shut her eyes. For some reason, this female Navi's embrace comforted her, removing all fear and sorrow for the time. "... I don't know what you mean..." The female Navi nodded, gently stroking Roll's right cheek. "I promise you, my dear Roll... you will know in due time. For now, sleep. You have a long, long journey ahead of you." With that, Roll dozed off in this figure's arms, unaware of all that would soon occur.  
  
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Me: I feel loads better now that I wrote this.  
  
Axl: Well, guess whatever floats your boat, right?  
  
Me: Yep.  
  
Megaman.EXE: Okay, who's the girl in Roll's head, then?  
  
Me: None of your business, blue boy.  
  
Lan: He doesn't know yet...  
  
Me: *Punches Lan in the face* ACTUALLY I do!!!  
  
Mayl: Then spill the beans already!!!  
  
Me: Are you outta your mind?!! I'm not ruining a good story!!!  
  
Roll: I'll say then. It's...  
  
Me: VIVI!!! Vivi: *Rushes out of a backroom and adjusts his hat.* You called, Death?!  
  
Me: Silence spell!!!  
  
Vivi: *Nods and looks to Roll, putting his Zeus' Hammer forward* SILENCE!!!  
  
Roll: *Speaks the figure, then sweatdrops, holding her throat, silently screaming at Death*  
  
Me: Good job, Viv!!! Take five, partner.  
  
Vivi: *Nods and rushes to the buffet*  
  
Me: Aaaaanyhow, that's it for now. Laters, people!!! ^.^ 


	10. It Effects Us All

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 10 - It Affects Us All ~~ Wowza, folks, how long's it been since I updated this sucker? *Blinks and looks at Zero.EXE and sweatdrops enormously at what he hears.* NEARLY TWO WEEKS?!!! DANG, I'M BEHIND!!! Heh, I've been obsessed with Megaman Battle Network 3 and busting all the Undernet Security Cubes, as well as Sonic Battle for the GBA, having friends over, working with Dad, etc, etc... Well, that's besides the point!!! I'M BACK IN BUSINESS!!! ~~  
  
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It had been another two weeks since Roll had been told she would soon be informed on the identity of the one residing with her within her body. So far, she had nothing. Roll had been training with Protoman these past two weeks, once Chaud had recovered from the shock of Mayl nearly creaming him. At this time, Roll was net battling with Protoman, using her recently acquired skills. It was a fierce battle, and each of them had thus far whittled the other down to a fraction of their full power. Roll has been taking the toll of Protoman's Air Sword attacks, while at the same time, even with Protoman's intense speed, one shot from the Roll Hurricane leveled the playing field. It was down to a final attack. Roll shut her eyes, gathering strength from deep within her body. Immediately, a pink sword formed at her right hand with a heart at the base of the blade. She got into a fighting stance she had practiced with Protoman using basic Sword chips. Protoman stood in the same position, his Hero Sword chip ready for use. "This is the final charge for the day Roll, I want you to give it your all!!!"  
Roll gave a nod, and immediately took off with blinding speed. Protoman matched her speed with his own. Within that brief instant of time, there was a small explosion that sent both Navis hurtling back into walls. As their swords vanished, Roll began to giggle a little bit. She then broke into laughter. Protoman restrained his laughter, intent on keeping a tough guy image, though he did fail in keeping a hint of it off. For one of the few times in his life, he cracked a grin at this event. Both Navis stood, worn from their battle. Roll walked to Protoman and used some of her powers to heal him. "Here... thank you so much for training me these past two weeks. I'm actually surprised that Mayl let me come for this."  
Protoman nodded, returning the favor of his recovery by pressing a Full Recovery Subchip to Roll's chest emblem, watching as it sank in and healed her. "It's nothing. You'll make a great net battler once you reach your full potential. You're already a match for me, Roll..." Roll smiled at this news, sticking out her tongue and rubbing her the back of her head with her right hand. Roll had grown more and more real lately, as well. Over the past two weeks, she'd experienced fingernail growth, a need for bodily cleanliness, and much more any human would need. "Well, I'm out for the night. Good night, Protoman!" Immediately after speaking these words, she logged out.  
  
Later that evening, Protoman was virus busting in the Beach area. As usual, just about every virus that came his way hardly lasted a second before total deletion. Protoman shut his eyes and stood still, the tip of his sword's blade resting upon the ground. "This is getting old... Maybe I should try the Undernet areas, there are plenty of strong viruses there to train on..." Just as he started to walk, he heard a whirring noise. He turned just in time to find a Yo-Yo1's blade coming straight at him. He dodged, but not without damage, as one of the blades slashed into his shoulder. Without wasting anymore time, he charged forward and sliced the virus into pieces. Chaud narrowed his eyes, then sighed. "What've I told you about being careless, Protoman...?" Protoman nodded, bowing his head. "My apologies, Chaud. I just..." He blinked a bit, catching a strange scent as he lowered his head. He looked to his right shoulder where the blade penetrated, and his every movement, as well as Chaud's, came to a halt from shock. Upon his shoulder, the suit was torn, revealing bloody, gashed skin beneath. Chaud grit his teeth, clenching his fists as he thought to himself. 'So... Roll isn't the only one... I've got to figure out just what's going on, I've got a bad feeling about this...'  
  
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Me - Ahhh, great to be back in the author's chair!!! Now I know how O.M.A.- Sama feels when he makes The Rogues Gallery and Author Space stuff. Same with Jen-Sama and Ashes of the Fourth Wall...  
  
Megaman ( Original ) - You DO of course realize probably no one knows what you're talking about...  
  
Me - Aaaand your point is...?  
  
Mayl - Try and keep it to a point we can ALL understand, Death.  
  
Me - Awww, you're no fun... *Plays at Guilty Gear XX for the PS2*  
  
Zero - You're obsessed with that game, huh?  
  
Me - Yep, just got Kliff and it turns out that he's the only old guy with a sword three times as tall as himself that I've ever kicked major butt with. Anyhow... *Sweatdrops as Kliff's sword slams through his PS2*  
  
Kliff - You young'uns should be outside, not playing these silly things...  
  
Me - ... M... My new PS2... the one I saved $300 to buy with an Ethernet addition...  
  
Kliff - Heh, waste of good money, then.  
  
Me - GRRAAAAAHHHH!!!! DIIIIIEEEE YOU MIDGET FREAK!!! *Dives at Kliff and tackles him into a closet where a pool of blood starts to leak from under the door*  
  
Mayl - He's... scaring me, guys... *Clings to Lan*  
  
Everyone - *Nods and steps waaaay back from the psycho*  
  
Lan - *Blinks at Mayl clinging to him, then grins and thinks to himself.* 'SWWEEEETT!!!' Eh-hem... Anyhow, since everyone else is too mortified to say it, I will. We'll see you in the next chapter. HEY, WILY!!! C'MON, THESE BLOODSTAINS WON'T CLEAN THEMSELVES!!! 


	11. The Memorial Service Introduction

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 11 – The Memorial Service Introduction ~~ Yet again, I'm WAY behind on the updates!!! Gah, Japanese 2, roller blading, art, school, working on sprites and figuring out how to make a website... It's all very confusing!!!  
  
Megaman – You still could've found SOME time to update...  
  
Death – Hey, I don't tell you when you get a new game, so shaddup... That's Capcom's job. Anyhow, time to get this one rollin'!!! ~~  
  
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Roll and Protoman seemed to be the only ones undergoing such changes at the time. Protoman, at one point, actually removed his helmet, because he felt it was getting to be what humans called "stuffy" under there. He had piercing violet eyes that seemed to be capable to cut through the very soul if looked upon with such intent. Protoman's hair was also let loose by the removal of the helmet, requiring Chaud to send him a hair tie just so he could hold it out of his face in the midst of battle. Roll, though, had changed the most rapidly. Not in her physical make-up, but in her power. Since she and the spirit within her body had grown more and more in-touch, Roll had started to develop her powers even faster. Protoman was matching her developments with his own, but even he was struggling. They both seemed to make every other Navi on the net pale in comparison against them. Though little did they know, that they were far from being the most powerful...  
  
Deep in the Undernet, a dark Navi stood, watching two video screens. Upon one, there was Protoman, currently in heavy training in the Secret Area that Megaman had revealed to him before his tragic deletion. On the other, was Roll, searching through references at an Online Library, helping Mayl with her homework. The Navi gave a chuckle, turning swiftly as it walked to an open door, glowing with red energy. The Navi came to a stop just before the door, turning and looking back at the screens. The Navi was giggled a bit and crossed it's arms, the voice signaling off that it was of the female gender. It spoke with a gentle, yet destructive voice. "My dear little Roll... I promise you, soon enough, that unrequited passion for your dear little Megaman will destroy you... I'll see to that myself." The female Navi turned and walked through the door, gray armor flashing with blonde hair as she moved.  
  
~~~  
  
Three weeks passed from that point. It was nearing the end of Summer. Lan was in the habit of doing his homework and getting up by himself now without the assistance of Megaman.EXE. This was the day of a memorial tribute to the lost Net Warrior, to honor him for saving the entire Network system not once, or twice, but three times, and marking the three month period since the day of his deletion. Lan, Mayl, Dex, Yai, and Chaud were among the attendants. The speech was very moving, no doubt, listing the Blue Bomber's highest points in his life. Lan, Mayl, Dex and Chaud spoke, while Yai sat in the back, forcing back heavy sobs, just for the time. After the ceremony, Mayl and Lan stood together away from the rest of the crowd. Mayl was in tears, but Lan was the worst of the two. She was doing all that she could to comfort him. She totally understood the situation. Lan had lost his brother twice, and a best friend for the first time. Such scars would remain in the souls of any who cared for a certain deceased party. "Lan... it's going to be alright, Lan... I promise..." She shut her eyes as she stroked his back, kissing his cheek softly as she thought to herself. 'Megaman... You really were the bravest of us all... and you made the biggest marks on Lan and Roll... I wish you could come back, somehow...'  
  
Roll stood in the middle of ACDC Square, tears pouring down her cheeks. Her hood and ribbons were down, hanging off the back of her battle suit as she stood before a digital memorial for the one she loved. Everyone else but she, Gutsman, Glyde, and Protoman had left. Roll was silent the entire time, unable to even find words to speak. Protoman sighed, shaking his head as he put his helmet back on, nodding to Gutsman and Glyde. "Let her be for a little longer... she'll catch up to us..." Glyde nodded softly, a gentleman, so hastily respecting this request to let the lady be alone. Gutsman, though, was more stubborn about it. "But what if a Virus comes into the Square?!! I gotta protect her!!!" Protoman held his Hero Sword to Gutsman's chin guard, lifting his helmet's shades and giving him that same, piercing glare. "Go..." Gutsman sweatdropped, then immediately backed off. Protoman looked to Roll, nodding softly. "... Roll, send me an e-mail if you need assistance..." Protoman now moved off as well, following the others to another side of the Square. Roll, though, remained statue still for the next half hour before moving again. Though, it was quite the opposite of moving away from the memorial. Roll slumped to her knees and broke down into sobs, heavier than the ones she cried when she and Mayl spoke for the first time of their passions towards one another. She grit her teeth, shaking her head as she thought to herself. 'Megaman!!! I won't accept that you're gone!!! You have to be out there somewhere, you just have to be!!!' She continued to cry as she sat there, this continuing on for the next 10 minutes. What broke her free of her sobs was a gentle finger against her right cheek, brushing away some free tears. At first, in her hysterics and confusion, she expected Megaman. Her gaze shot upward, but met a figure far from that of Megaman. The figure knelt down, giving a gentle smile as she brushed Roll's tears off her other cheek. This new Navi was female as well. Her hair was blonde, like Roll's, and ran down to her knees unrestrained. She had gentle, but at the same time slightly threatening red eyes. Upon her chest was a breastplate with shoulder pads, black in color. A gray jumpsuit was upon her form, with matching boots and gloves. "Dear Roll... you're crying now, I see..." Roll just sat there, thinking hard for a moment. Her eyes shot wide as she was shaken from her sorrow into a realization. "Y... you're that person that speaks to my soul!!!" The female figure giggled a bit, nodding. "You're right. But with your powers, I've grown capable of manifesting online... My name is Kali.EXE..."  
  
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Me – *Yawns and lies back in his chair, listening to "What I'm Made Of" by Crush 40*  
  
Shadow The Hedgehog – You've been obsessed with this and all the old school Sonic The Hedgehog songs lately...  
  
Me – Yeah, great classics, I say... *Yawns again and stretches out.* Funny how I write the most when I'm tired. It's gotta be around 11:30 right now or something...  
  
Axl – Then jeez, if you're that tired, go to bed already...  
  
Me – Aw, heck no!!! I don' wannaaaaa!!!  
  
Mayl – Whatever... Anyhow, what's with ending this chapter so abruptly?!! You hardly introduced that new character, who is she?!!  
  
Me – You'll see, Mayl, you'll see. You and everyone else reading this.  
  
Roll.EXE – *Sits silently, then slowly starts to stand and step away*  
  
Lan and Mayl – HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!!  
  
Me – Don't bother, I made sure Megaman can't be used to bribe her...  
  
Lan – HOW THE HECK... WHAT'D YOU DO TO HIM?!!  
  
Me – *Flips on a T.V. and points to it*  
  
Megaman.EXE – *Yells out at the top of his lungs as he's chased through Tokyo by rabid fans* DEATH I'M GONNA KILL YOU WHEN I GET BACK THEEERREE!!!  
  
Me – Heheheh, sure, like everyone else tried to... Anyhow, that's it for this chapter!!! 


	12. The Healer and the Destroyer

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 12 – The Healer and the Destroyer  
  
OYE!!! My GOD, it's been nearly 4 months since I've even looked at this thing!!!  
  
Megaman – I said it last chapter, I'll say it again. YOU COULD'VE FOUND TIME TO UPDATE!!!  
  
Death - ... Snaps his fingers and watches Heavy Man crash right down on Megaman Moron. Running a web comic at the same time kinda thrashes time... Well, time to get back on the road, folks. Sorry for not updating and all.  
  
Megaman – No you're not...  
  
Death – YES I AM!!! Picks up Heavy Man and slams him down on Megaman again  
  
Protoman started to pace a little bit as he stood in Beach Square. It had been over an hour now, and Roll hadn't so much as contacted him. Glyde sighed a bit, watching some child-style Navis playing on a digital beach below. He was concerned as well, but as a gentleman, he highly respected Roll's privacy, and had decided to give 2 hours before he acted out of concern. Gutsman, though, was far from Glyde's level of patience. He'd been sitting in a corner, cracking his knuckles constantly, punching one fist into the palm of the other hand. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. Gutsman stood up, hollering out and slamming his enormous fists into the square, sending fissures all about him. "DARNIT ALL!!! IT'S BEEN AN HOUR, AND WE HAVEN'T SO MUCH AS GOTTEN A MESSAGE FROM MAYL!!! I'm goin' back there!!!"  
  
Just as Gutsman started to lumber towards the link to Beach Area 2, Protoman appeared infront of him. His helmet was off, and his eyes were narrowed into the most serious glare he'd ever given outside of battle. Gutsman just stared into his eyes as Protoman's Hero Sword once more met Gutsman's chin guard. "Step one foot into the ACDC Network and Dex will be repairing you for the rest of the Summer." Gutsman gulped nervously at the thought of being torn to shreds, then turned and moved to a nearby corner, sitting and grumbling in it. Protoman sighed, shutting his eyes as he thought to himself. 'He's right, though... It is strange how not even Mayl's contacted us on Roll's condition...'  
  
Roll and Kali stood face to face, blinking a little bit. "So, what you're saying is, you're a part of me...?" Kali nodded, her arms crossed. A smile graced her lips as she looked Roll dead in the eyes. "Yes. But I'm a very special part of you, Roll... I'm not just your happiness, your anger, or your sorrow... I'm your desire. Your emotions over Megaman have been so strong as of late, that it gave me the energy to form my own body. Over time, that energy grew, until I could manifest and meet you here." Roll gave a nod. Something didn't add up about all this to her, though. She didn't know exactly what it was, but something just gave her a bad feeling.  
  
Kali gently embraced Roll, shutting her eyes. "I know you're still being torn apart on the inside by Megaman's death. It's tearing me apart too... But don't worry, Roll, everything will be better soon." Roll blinked a bit, stepping back. She shook her head. "I don't understand..." Kali giggled a bit, vanishing. Roll gasped as she felt arms around her neck. Kali was hanging off her, smiling gently. "I know how you desire Megaman... You want to hear his voice, to see his face, to be able to touch him. To confess to him, and maybe something more..." Roll blushed a bit, looking to the side. Kali smiled, whispering into Roll's ear. "He can be revived, Roll..." Roll's eyes shot wide open as she heard this. She turned and stepped back, her right hand on her chest. "Megaman can be brought back to life?! But, all his data, Alpha absorbed it before he was deleted!"  
  
Kali shook her right index finger at Roll, her head moving with it. "Roll, Roll, Roll... Can't you remember that amazing power of your's that's been awakening as of late? How you single-handedly annihilated Beastman, Flamman, AND Drillman's Navi ghosts?" Roll nodded a bit, looking down. "But, those are just new attacks. It's got nothing to do with restoration..." Kali giggled, then placed her hands on her hips. "On the contrary, it can have anything to do with restoration you wish. Think of it. What if you could convert that energy into a form of shape-shifting data? Then you could harness it for whatever you wish. Why, even your friends could use it if they wanted. Protoman might use a powered-up sword, or Gutsman may gain a bit more power behind his punches. But you, as a natural born healer. Think of all the lost Navis you could restore."  
  
Roll lowered her head in thought, then smiled. She looked up, nodding to Kali. "You're right!!! I... I could bring Megaman back to us... And then everyone'd be happy again, and I could..." She blushed, looking down. Kali smiled gently, walking forward. "Go on to Beach Square. Your friends are waiting for you there..." Roll blinked a little bit, looking up to Kali. "How do you know?" Kali smiled gently, shaking her head. "It's a little trick... Anyhow, go on, share this with your friends. You can work together to unlock the power." Roll smiled, then shut her eyes, transporting herself to Beach Square. Kali smirked, walking forward and looking up at Megaman's face on the memorial. She started to giggle a little as she thought to herself. 'Yes, Roll... unlock your powers... I promise you, they'll be put to good use...' Kali broke out into a loud laughter, a blood red aura appearing about her body. Within seconds, she vanished.  
  
Me - Ah, it feels wonderful to be back in the saddle again after such a long while!!!  
  
Kali – And of course, I'm finally getting some detail in on myself.  
  
Protoman – You mean that you're a total psycho, right?  
  
Kali - Appears behind Protoman and cuts him clean in half  
  
Protoman - Groans, lying and sparking from the lower half of his torso  
  
Me – Well, whaddya know? I guess this proves it, Protoman and Zero are based off the same model robot. I've never seen a robot lethally damaged and brought back so many times. Anywho, folks, I'll be sure to update more now since it's almost Summer! Keep readin' for the next chapter! Oh, and, last minute edit, folks. Since I just wrote this on the school computer, the separators for in story and out of story aren't showing. I'll figure out what's going on with this at home tonight. Adios! 


	13. Disturbance of the Peace, Part 1

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 13 – Disturbance of the Peace Part 1  
  
Well, at least now I'm getting SOMEWHAT back into the habit of working on this.  
  
Zero.EXE – Hey, I've got a question...  
  
Death - What's up, Z?  
  
Zero.EXE – In Megaman Battle Network 4, Lan and Mayl just went on their first date at that Castillo place that opened up. Doesn't that open up a plot hole?  
  
Death – Points to the plugged plothole I thought of that. Y'see, it Lan and Mayl only went on their first date there. I've never mentioned anything about a date in this story yet.  
  
Zero.EXE – Then explain why Lan's so nervous...  
  
Death – Hey, I'd be nervous if I went on my first date with a girl, even AFTER I confessed my love for her. So hush now and let me narrate the danged story!!!  
  
"Heheheheheheheh...", cackled a shadowy figure in the depths of Undernet 4. Kali stood at attention, smirking a bit. "It's going as planned, Master. Soon, our organization will have the powers sealed within my pathetic counterpart, and our plan will commence..." The pillar looked over his shoulder, gazing past one of two pillar-like objects protruding from both shoulders. His eyes began to glow a soft pinkish-red color as he turned his head forward once more. "Good... we are still assembling our forces for the major strike against the planet, but within a few months, we'll be ready... It's vital that you retrieve this power. Then, and only then, will the darkness be able to reign supreme." Kali grinned, bowing respectfully. "I will watch over Roll and her allies... and I will retrieve the power when the time is right..." Kali vanished from that point once she finished speaking. The figure stood for a moment more, cackling as a dark aura surrounded him. As the cackling broke into a roaring laugh, he vanished into the darkness.  
  
Back in ACDC 1, Roll sighed, sitting on the edge of the path. Her body had progressed so far because of the power within her, she actually needed changes of clothes. Today, she was wearing a light pink tanktop, and a pair of white shorts. Ankle socks were upon beneath white sneakers with her Navi emblem upon the toes. Her hair was back in it's regular ponytail, and a pendant with her emblem was hanging around her neck. She sighed a bit, looking down at the endless streams of data below. "Kali said I can form my power into a physical state that can be used for all kinds of things... Even reviving Mega... But how'm I supposed to access that power?" While she was speaking with herself, 3 Mettaur viruses were slowly creeping up on her, led by 2 Sparkies. Just as the Sparkies began to charge electricity, and the Mettaurs raised their picks, Roll tapped the ground, sending shockwaves across the path in their direction. Spikes shot up beneath each one, skewering them, and even piercing through the Mettaur's helmets. She looked behind her, watching their data fly into the air. "You'd think that these little guys would learn."  
  
Protoman walked forward, also in a different set of clothes. A red and black sweatshirt was covering his chest, his own Navi Emblem upon it. Black jeans were clinging to his waistline, with matching combat boots on his feet. He wore pitch black sunglasses, covering his eyes, while his hair, too, was held back in a ponytail. "I see these weaklings aren't even worth breaking a sweat anymore." Roll stood, smiling a bit. "Yeah, it's kind of disappointing, but, it's for the best. It just proves I can really hold my own now..." Protoman nodded, smirking a bit. The smirk receded quickly though, sliding his hands into his sweatshirt pocket. "Roll... are you okay? You stayed for a while at the monument yesterday... Everyone was worried about you." Just as Roll was about to speak, a female voice came from behind Protoman. "Don't worry, nothing happened. I was there to watch her."  
  
Protoman's eyes shot wide as he spun around, seeing Kali. She was dressed in identical clothes as Roll, but in place of the white and pink colors, there was black and red. Protoman stood there, glaring at Kali through his sunglasses. He felt something was wrong. Just as he was ready to shift to his battle suit, Roll walked forward, smiling and bowing a bit. "It's good to see you again, Kali. What's up?" Protoman blinked, looking to Roll out the corner of his eyes, not shifting his body once. 'She knows this Navi...? ... Hn. I'll keep my guard up... Something about this girl doesn't feel right at all...' Kali walked forward, embracing Roll. "Nothing. I just thought I'd come and see how you were doing with that power we talked about." Roll sighed, shutting her eyes. "I've been thinking about it, and I haven't come up with a thing... I tried concentrating it between my hands, like this..." As she spoke, Roll held her hands out, cupped and parallel to each other, about a foot of distance between. "... but, I collapsed and lost the charge. I'm just not strong enough right now..." Kali nodded, a dead serious look upon her face. She needed that power, and she needed it soon.  
  
'Hm... maybe all her power needs... is a little more persuasive action for it to activate...' She held her hands behind her back, her left hand grasping her right wrist. Her right hand remained open as a black cyber flame appeared. It glowed a light red, then yellow, then black once more. Once this three-color phase was complete, the flame vanished. In ACDC 2, the flame appeared, just slightly taller than Glyde's average height. A dark figure formed within, hanging limp in the air. The flame finally gave off one bright flash of light, then vanished. A Navi was left in it's place, a sinister Navi of whom Megaman had fought before. He floated up, his head low. He remained like this, drawing the attention of a crowd of Navis and programs. The Navi raised his head, grinning evilly. In that spot, Quickman had been resurrected as Quickman Omega. He laughed maniacally, sending 10 Quick Boomerangs out, slicing up at least 30 Navis and Programs alike. The screams could probably be heard all the way to Sci Lab, as the remaining Navis and Programs began to disperse. Roll's eyes shot wide as she heard the blood curdling cries for help. She nodded to Protoman, and he, in return, nodded back. Both shifted to their battle outfits. Roll looked to Kali, a serious look on her face. "Stay here!!! It's too dangerous over there!!!"  
  
As Roll and Protoman rushed off to ACDC 2, Kali stood there, a look of concern upon her face. She then yelled out, cupping her hands around her mouth. "ROLL!!! WATCH OUT FOR YOURSELF OUT THERE!!!" She lowered her hands to her sides again, watching as they ran into the next part of the server. She smirked, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. "Do be careful... I can't have you dying yet. Not until you get your power for me, little Roll..." She vanished, appearing in her battle uniform on a path in ACDC 2 high above the main. She wore a cloak around herself to conceal her identity. She watched as Protoman and Roll rushed in. Quickman turned, blinking. He then grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Well, well, well... if it isn't Megaman's acquaintances. How fortunate... I was going to hunt him down to exact my revenge, but destroying you two should suffice!!!" Roll narrowed her eyes, a light pink aura forming around her. "... he's dead... you can't get to him now, Quickman..."  
  
Quickman blinked, then started to snicker. He then burst out laughing, holding his sides. "HAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! Well, it looks like someone saved me the trouble!!! But you, little girl... you looked so sad when you said that..." Quickman smirked, forming 8 Quick Boomerangs between his fingers. "Don't worry... you'll meet him again... ONCE I DELETE YOU BOTH!!!" Immediately, he launched his boomerangs forth. Roll just stood there, her eyes wide. Protoman jumped infront of her and formed his shield, repelling 7 of the boomerangs, the 8th cutting through his arm. He winced, then let his shield fall as the boomerangs looped back to Quickman.  
  
Quickman blinked as he saw the blood trailing down Protoman's arm. He smirked, forming another Quick Boomerang. "Ah, so the might Protoman isn't as invincible as he thought... Don't worry, for you, I'll just save your head as a prize. Once I delete the most powerful Navi on the Net, no one will get in my way ever again!!!" Protoman smirked, a Hero Sword forming. "I won't go as quickly as you think..." Immediately, he lunged forward, beginning to hack and slash at top speed at Quickman. Quickman yawned, repelling all of Protoman's attacks with his right hand and the Quick Boomerang it held. "If you want REAL speed, allow me to demonstrate!!!" Quickman vanished just as Protoman performed a vertical slash. Protoman's eyes went wide as he felt something pierce his back. He looked at his chest, only to see the tip of a golden blade, drenched in his blood. Quickman smirked as he withdrew the boomerang, causing Protoman to collapse to the ground, unconscious.  
  
Roll's eyes shot wide as she stood there, her hands clasped over her mouth. She'd just sent an e-mail to Chaud and Mayl, requesting their help. "P... Proto..." Quickman turned to face her, grinning demonically. "Don't worry, little girl... you and friend here can face total deletion together..."  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
Mayl - Is currently in the middle of pounding Death, Chaud restraining him. WHAT WAS THE BIG IDEA, LEAVING THEM LIKE THAT?!!  
  
Chaud - Whispers a bit I'd suggest you talk. I'm willing to let you off right now, but Mayl's got energy to spare...  
  
Me - Sweatdrops I'll talk, I'll talk!!! Just lemme go!!!  
  
Mayl - Nods to Chaud  
  
Chaud - Just drops Death on the ground.  
  
Death - Groans, rubbing the countless lumps on his head. It's for effect. Jeez, haven't you guys ever heard of suspense...? Sometimes ya gotta leave things to be continued!!!  
  
Lan - Murmurs to Megaman X Yeah, and at this rate, his beating'll have a "To Be Continued" to follow up...  
  
Death - Sweatdrops and blasts Mayl with ice water, then dashes for dear life. NEXT CHAPTER'LL BE UP SOON, FOLKS!!! LATER!!! 


	14. Disturbance of the Peace, Part 2

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 14 – Disturbance of the Peace, Part 2

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Well, finally back on track with updating.

Shadow Man – Feh, probably just because you couldn't wait to finish that two part...

Death - #Laughs nervously, then pounds him with a mallet he forms from thin-air# Shaddup...

Snake Man – How'd you do that?!!

Death – I'm the author here, I can do danged well whatever I please. ON WITH THE STORY, SAYS I!!!

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Quickman hovered in mid-air, grasping his Quick Boomerang tightly. Roll growled, getting into a fighting stance. Her ribbons began to glow and spin at a maddening rate, keeping her eyes focused on Quickman at all times. The speedy Navi chuckled a bit and crossed his arms, shutting his eyes. "I'll tell you what. Just to make this a little fairer, I'll let you have first shot. Go ahead, see if you can hit me!!!" Roll smirked a bit, the pink aura forming around her once more. "I'll do more than hit you... ROOOOOLL HURRICAAAANE!!!" Just as she did to Drillman, Roll flipped forward, sending forth her ferocious attack. But instead of one single hurricane, this time, three were fired. Quickman raised an eyebrow, then smirked as he thought to himself. 'This should prove very interesting...' The hurricanes merged together upon the spot where Quickman was hovering, exploding on contact with one another. Roll blinked a little bit, standing solid in one spot. "Did... Did I get 'im...?"

Suddenly, a dark figure appeared behind her, smirking. "Not even close..." Before Roll could even turn, a sharp pain cut through her back. She screamed out, dropping to one knee and gritting her teeth, her eyes wide in pain. Quickman laughed, his head cocked back skyward. "HAAAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! YOU FOOL!!! Did you REALLY think you could beat me?!!" Roll forced herself to her feet, turning slowly and facing Quickman. The only greeting she received, though, was slash after slash from his Quick Boomerang as he held it tightly in his right hand. He drove her back slowly, leaving cuts all over her skin and clothes, sending blood flying to the ground and onto both their bodies. Within mere seconds, Roll collapsed, panting heavily from blood loss and battle fatigue. Her body was beginning to give way to Quickman's merciless assault. Quickman grinned, most the yellow upon his body dyed blood red, the Quick Boomerang he held dripping every other second. He laughed maniacally, just for a few seconds, before he his gaze shifted down towards Roll.

"Poor, poor little girl... All cut up and with no one to run to...! I'll give you credit, though. Even that little boyfriend of yours, Megaman, couldn't have lasted this long against my assault..." Roll forced herself into a sitting position, both her arms hanging at her sides as her vision started to blur a little. Quickman smirked evilly, putting the tip of his boomerang to Roll's forehead. "But... that little Megaman was ALWAYS a weakling." Roll's eyes shot wide as she heard this, her teeth grit. Quickman took no notice of this, continuing on. "The only reason he beat me was by a lucky shot. But now, that pathetic loser of a Navi is long deleted, and as soon as I annihilate you, and finish off Protoman, I'll be unstoppable!!!" Quickman raised his arm and brought it down in a flash, a devilish grin on his face. A thunk was heard, the same kind one would hear when skin and bone were pierced through. Quickman immediately laughed, throwing his head back. "NO ONE CAN STOP ME NOW!!! I AM THE ULTIMATE NAVI!!!" Quickman's eyes went wide as he felt something pierce his gut. He looked down, just to find his own Quick Boomerang piercing him. He pulled it out, growling. His data was beginning to phase and blur a bit. Roll stood, blood dripping down her fingers from a hole in her hand, no doubt where the Quick Boomerang had entered and been removed. She looked up to him, her eyes glowing fiercely.

Quickman's eyes shot wide as he started to hover back a bit. He was well aware of his own power, but something about Roll merely sent chills down his spine. Roll stepped forward slowly, matching his pace. "So... quick to run at the mouth, too... We'll just have to fix that..." Roll raised her hand in the air and vanished, appearing behind Quickman. Quickman spun around, just to be hit by a barrage of energy slashes. He slammed into the ground below, gritting his teeth and rebounding to his feet quickly. "You little... I'LL DESTROY YOU FOR THAT!!!" Quickman formed 8 Quick Boomerangs and sent them flying, all in Roll's direction. Roll held her right hand out, a flash lighting up the sky in the area. Quickman shielded his eyes, growling angrily. As the flash died, he lowered his arms, just to find the most shocking sight he'd ever seen. His most powerful attack, the Quick Boomerang X8, had been stopped in mid-air!!! Quickman's just hovered there for a moment, starting to float back as he thought to himself. 'Th... that's... that's not possible!!! My boomerangs may be deflectable, but they're totally unstoppable!!! At that speed, not even the most powerful firewall on all of the planet could've withstood more than one barrage!!!' He turned, starting to fly off. "I'm outta here!!! I'll fight you again some other day!!!" Roll narrowed her eyes, one buster cannon forming on each hand. "No... you won't, Quickman... ROLL BLAST!!!" She locked her knees and dug her feet into the ground, sending two huge beams of pink energy at Quickman's back. The navi screamed out as the beams engulfed him, quickly disintegrating not only he, but every last bit of his data.

As the beams began to fade and Roll's hands started to return to their original state, Protoman regained consciousness. He could sense the massive power of the blasts, and immediately found them coming from Roll, just as they totally vanished and her gloved, injured hands were revealed. Roll gasped as her aura faded, immediately collapsing onto the ground, unconscious. Protoman crawled over to her, his Hero Sword vanishing as he picked her up. "... Roll... you even defeated a Navi like that... how...?"

Just as he finished that sentence, a communications link opened just to Protoman's right. Protoman looked to it, watching Chaud and Mayl's faces materialize on screen. Chaud spoke up, a serious, yet concerned, look upon his face. "Protoman, what happened?!! Mayl and I got an e-mail that you and Roll were being attacked by Quickman!!! Is that true?!!" Protoman gave a solemn nod, ignoring his own wounds and lifting Roll in his arms as he stood. "Yes... Mayl, I'd suggest you jack Roll out, she's in desperate need of medical attention..." Mayl blinked, then gasped, her eyes shrinking at the sight of her brutally mauled Navi. She nodded slowly, her face pale as she linked her PET up to the computer at Sci Lab she and Chaud were speaking from. Roll quickly vanished from Protoman's arms, reappearing on the screen of the PET. Mayl grit her teeth, tears forming in her eyes. "R... Roll..." Chaud looked to Roll's battered body, then looked to Protoman, taking note of his own Navi's injuries as well. He shut his eyes, sighing. "We'll get you both to Dr. Hikari for repairs. After that, Protoman, I expect a full report, nothing left out. Clear?" Protoman nodded, shutting his eyes as he jacked out. With that, Mayl and Chaud both left to head upstairs to Dr. Hikari's lab.

Meanwhile, just above the battlefield, Kali smirked, looking at her own emblem. It had started to shine a dark light. She stood up, starting to walk slowly down the path. "That pathetic fool Quickman served his purpose well... I never expected him to stoop so low as insult a lost loved one like that, but I guess that's what happens when you're a mere leftover from a long-since gone crime syndicate... Well, no matter. Now it's only a matter of time before the energy is our's..."

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Me – Well, with that, I'm hoping that this chapter can go and get put up WITHOUT any problems.

Quick Man – I'll say. Every bit of punctuation you've put has gone missing whenever you submitted in the last 2 chapters!!!

Me – Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I submitted them on A. a crappy computer, and B. A computer that didn't have Microsoft Word...

Heat Man – So basically, you're screwed as far as submissions go.

Me – That's one way to put it, yes. #Pounds Heat Man on the back of his box, seals it shut, and buries him underground# THAT'S FOR BEING SUCH A LITTLE MONSTER TO BEAT IN MEGAMAN 3!!! #Stomps mercilessly at the freshly dug up soil#

Yamato Man - ... Right... anywho, ladies and gents, we'll cover Chapter 14 soon, AND work the kinks out of the posting system, so keep on reading!!! As we say in Japan, "Ja Matte"!!!


	15. Battle Aftermath, A Time to Think

**The Pain Of Loss Chapter 15 – Battle Aftermath, A Time to Think**

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Me: Well, it's another fine day for writin'!!!

Everyone else: #Off doing their own thing#

Me: That's harsh...

Megaman: Hey, it's not that big a deal that you're writing chapter 15.

Me: Feh, I bet you just say that 'cause you're not in the story...

Megaman: #Fumes a bit over that comment#

Me: #Grins# I thought as much... ON WITH THE STORY NOW!!!

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Roll slowly came around, moaning in pain. Again, she was in the Virus Lab at Scilab. She sighed, looking around, finding her gaze on Protoman, back in his casual clothes, but practically covered in bandages. She smiled weakly to him. "Guess I just keep getting myself hurt, huh...?" Protoman nodded solemnly. "Relax, you're not the only one..." Roll sighed, looking up at the light high above in the net "sky". She sighed, clenching her fists. "Quickman's gone for good... right...?" Protoman sighed a bit, giving another nod. "The only remnant they could find was half of the Quick Boomerang he wore on his head. Otherwise, there's no data left." Roll nodded weakly, shutting her eyes once more. "Good..." After saying this, she drifted off to sleep once more.

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Mayl sighed a bit, leaning against a wall outside of Scilab. She'd left her PET inside the Virus Lab so repairs could be done on Roll properly. Lan walked outside, smiling as he saw Mayl. "Good news. Roll's gonna make a full recovery. She's supposed to be up on her feet by the end of the night." Mayl blinked, then sighed once more, this time in relief. She stood up straight from the wall and walked to Lan, embracing him tenderly. "Thanks... I needed to hear that." Lan nodded gently, kissing Mayl's forehead and stroking her back gently. Mayl giggled at these loving gestures, then looked up to him. Her smile quickly faded as a thought came to mind. "Lan... A lot of these Navis and viruses are attacking Roll lately... Doesn't it all seem just a little bit... I don't know, it just seems like they're targeting her. Like there's something that they want..." Lan blinked, then chuckled, walking her to a bench and sitting her down. "Well, she really is one of the most powerful Navis on the net right now..." He sat down beside her, pulling out his empty PET and sighing. "They may just want to try and get her out of the way... Like all those Viruses did to Megaman while we were running around the ACDC areas and such."

Mayl looked down, giving a weak nod. "It's the Navis I'm really worried about... You told me that even you and Megaman struggled with Quickman when he was just a basic level Navi. He nearly deleted Roll and Protoman today..." Lan sighed a bit, putting his PET away and wrapping one arm about Mayl's waist. "Yeah... but we don't have to worry about him anymore. He's been permanently dealt with." Mayl gave a weak smile to Lan, kissing him on the cheek, and immediately after laying her head to rest on his shoulder. "Yeah... it's others that worry me now..."

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In Undernet 4, Kali was knelt down before the same shadowy figure as before. The figure's eyes gave a piercing red glow now, instead of the earlier light pink. Kali was currently relaying video feed of Roll and Protoman's battle to him. "So... Roll.EXE has grown this powerful... I hope you had purpose in forcing her into battle and awakening that level of strength. She poses a great threat to us now, Kali..." Kali nodded, smirking a bit. "I'm well aware, sir, but it was necessary. If we want to extract her full power, we must awaken it all. If I attempt to bring it out once and only take a portion, she will lose her trust in me, and it will become that much harder to take what we need..." The figure stood still, then gave a solid nod, freeze-framing the feed on the Roll Blast. He chuckled, turning fully to her. "Very well... take the time you need, but if you fail, don't you dare return to my sight..." Kali gave a solemn nod, standing and bowing. "I will extract her powers, and we shall achieve our goal..." With that, Kali vanished into the darkness.

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Kali paced through the Undernet, her arms hanging at her sides. She came to a stop at a dead end, looking down over the data stream below, smirking slightly. "Hmph... to think that somewhere down there, Alpha and Megaman's now corrupt, fragmented datas are floating around... It's so pathetic." She sighed, sitting down. "All of this nonsense will be put to an end the day we achieve our goal..." From nowhere, a high-pitched squeal shot out, echoing through the depths of the Undernet. A dark figure appeared behind her, smirking. "Wh-wheeee! It seems that you've got your hands full, Kali...", the figure said in a sophisticated, yet demonic voice. Kali huffed, smirking at the same time as she let her right leg hang over the edge, her left leg held up close to her chest. "Tch, not nearly as bad as you, Shade Man..."

The bat-like Navi moved forward, his body becoming visible. He retained a human-looking face and upper body beneath a dark blue dress suit, much like those the traditional vampire was pictated to wear. But this image was thrown off easily by the large claws he had for feet and hands, as well as the bat-like ears. Shade Man grinned a bit. "Still a loner, too... All of us here are willing to lend you a hand, you know that. Our boss would be most discouraged if one of his best was destroyed, after all..." Kali stood, looking over her shoulder to him. "Thanks, but I don't trust the filth of the team for anything. You'll just get in my way. Concentrate on your own tasks now, Shade Man, while I concentrate on mine!" Shade Man narrowed his eyes, then gave off a light chuckle. "Fine... but know this. You may be one of the syndicate's top Navis, but you are still below me in rank. Be cautious as to where you tread with me..." With that, Shade Man vanished into the darkness, engulfed in the shadows.

Kali started to walk away from the dead end, grinning a bit as she thought to herself. 'Go, Shade Man, do as you wish for now... but once I attain Roll's true power for myself, it will be I, and I alone who stands by our leader's side as we dominate! And you... Your data will become a part of me...' She smirked, a black Quick Boomerang forming in her hand as she walked, heading into the darkest part of the Undernet.

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Me: I have to say, I feel this is one of my best yet.

Roll Light: Looks like you're even introducing some of the cast of Battle Network 4 now, too.

Proto Man: And to think that he would've looked like that if Dr. Light had gotten funding for his internet research instead.

Protoman.EXE: Looks aren't everything...

Me: Point taken... Hey, has anyone seen Gutsman lately?

Megaman Volnutt: That big guy? He and his counterpart are outside duking it out. Said something about seeing who's the real Gutsman...

Me: ... Apparently they're too dumb to understand the concept of time branching out like a tree and going in separate paths with the same people, but who live under different circumstances...

Bass: Are you done with the scientific babble?!! I would've asked Dr. Wily the schematics on the other Robot Masters if I wanted to hear it!!!

Me: Right, right, right... Anywho, next chapter's comin' soon ladies and gents. See ya later!

Sidenote : If anyone here can figure out why I can't use Asterisks ( the star on the 8 key ) and the wave things ( on the key just below Escape ), please inform me in the review. Any help is greatly appreciated.


	16. True Intentions Revealed, Part 1

**The Pain Of Loss Chapter 16 – True Intentions Revealed, Part 1**

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Me: I'M ON A FLIPPIN' ROLL HERE, PEOPLLLEEEE!!!!

Shadowman.EXE: Give it a rest...

Burnerman.EXE: Seriously, it's not that big a deal!!!

Me: You guys just don't understand what it's like when an author's spirit's on fire with the passion to write!!!

Burnerman.EXE: Ha!!! I got way more of a firey spirit than you'll ever have!

Me: #Blasts Burnerman dead in the face with Napalm# You were saying?

Burnerman.EXE: #Coughs and falls back in a daze#

Me: EXACTLY!!! ON WITH THE STORY, PEOPLES!!!

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Things were rather peaceful since Quickman's attack. It was a peace that lasted for quite a while. There were only three days left until Lan, Mayl, Yai, and Dex began the 6th grade together. Lan's family, like all others attending school, received a notice via e-mail of school rules and policy. It was then that Lan felt his heart break once more. It was required of all 6th graders had a PET for their classes. Lan would have to get a replacement...

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This crushed Roll as soon as word hit the net. No doubt, everyone in the Cyber World who had hopes of Megaman's return felt a lethal blow to their optimism. Roll, as most would expect, was hit the hardest. This was shown during that day's training session with Protoman...

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"Roll, snap out of it!!!", called a slightly agitated Protoman. Roll gasped, snapping to attention. Protoman sighed, shutting down his Hero Sword and walking forward. "Roll, today's training session is over." Roll blinked, then shook her head. "P, Protoman, I'm sorry, I won't zone out like that again!!!" Protoman sighed, looking up. "... Megaman's on your mind..." Roll's own Cyber Sword vanished as he said this. She looked down, tears starting to well up in her eyes. Protoman turned and walked forward, shifting to his casual clothes and lifting Roll's chin. "It's obvious... Everyone on the net knows about how Lan has to get a new Navi for school." Roll shifted to her own casual form of dress, sitting down and hugging her knees to her chest while tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Protoman... it's just, that means Megaman may not be able to return to us... Even if..." Protoman blinked, raising an eyebrow to her. "Even if...?"

Just as Roll was about to speak, Kali appeared, smiling cheerfully. "Hey there you two. Am I interrupting something?" Roll blinked as she looked to Kali, then looked down, shaking her head. "N... not at all..." Protoman shot Kali a glare beneath his sunglasses. It wasn't the fact that he was cut off from vital information, but something about her timing seemed too accurate for mere coincidence. He sighed a bit, then crossed his arms, watching Kali walk to Roll and kneel down, embracing her counterpart. "Roll... I heard all about what was going to happen with that Lan boy. I'm so sorry... But this just means we must hasten things..." Roll blinked, then nodded. She knew in her heart Kali was right, despite the fact she had no idea of her true intentions. Both stood, looking to each other. Kali smiled gently, pressing a hand to Roll's chest where her heart was. Roll blinked, blushing slightly. Kali giggled, shaking her head. "Relax, Roll. I'm merely examining your heart... This will reveal if your power has ripened to fruition or not..." Both Kali and Roll's auras appeared as Kali began to read Roll's heart. Protoman stumbled back, stunned by the power, but even more-so by the tremendous dark energy that Kali was emitting. This definitely left him with a bad feeling about the other female Navi.

Kali gave a gentle sigh, looking to Roll and shaking her head. "You're very close... But we haven't much time if we're going to bring back Megaman. You need a little bit more training..." Protoman stepped forward, pulling off his sunglasses. "What do you mean, "Bring back Megaman"...?" Kali smiled to Protoman, shaking her head. "Our dear little Roll here has a tremendous power growing inside her. It's almost reached it's absolute peak... Once it does, I believe that we'll be able to harness the power to restore so many lost Navis and programs..." Kali shut her eyes, a chill going down her spine. 'Ugh, I can't believe I'm saying this crap... But it's leading them along like Moths to the flame... Soon enough, I'll be able to drop this pathetic act and do what I came to do...' Protoman stood still, shutting his eyes. He placed his sunglasses back upon his head, then crossed his arms. "Fine... If she needs more training, I'll do it."

Kali shook her head, her hands sliding into her pockets. "Sorry, Proto, but you can't handle it... The training that she needs must bring out everything. If she brought out her Roll Blast against you, you'd be at least on the brink of utter deletion." Roll sighed a bit, looking to Protoman. "I'm sorry, but, she's right... And I don't want to hurt you, Protoman... Please understand." Protoman gave a solemn nod, as always, then averted his gaze to Kali. "So what did you have in mind in terms of training...?" Kali smirked, shifting to her own battle suit. "Why, me of course... I'm a reflection of Roll's heart's deepest desires... I carry at least as much power as she does." Roll nodded, sighing and shifting to her own battle suit. "Let's go to a place where no one can get caught in the crossfire... Protoman, I'll see you later." Kali and Roll began to vanish. Just then, Protoman noticed something he hadn't before. As Kali's aura showed once more, dark energy wasn't all that was being emitted. It was pure evil. "ROLL!!! WAIT!!!" Just as he started to rush forward, they vanished without a trace. Protoman grit his teeth, shifting to his battle uniform. "She's in danger... I've got to alert the others. I'm going to need all the help I can get!!!"

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Kali and Roll reformed together deep in the Undernet. Kali looked around, smirking. "Perfect. Just viruses here, nothing really important that can get caught in the cross fire..." Roll nodded, shuddering a little bit. She'd never trekked to the Undernet before, but she'd seen visions of parts of it, the parts that Lan and Megaman used her back-up data to summon her copy and assist them in battle. She looked to Kali, nodding solemnly. "What're the rules to this battle?" Kali smiled, her hands on her hips. "We fight one round of all-out combat. The winner is determined by knockout, or when we ourselves are on the brink of deletion. I warn you, Roll, this is going to be the hardest training that you've ever done in your entire life... And I will pull absolutely no punches." Roll nodded, forming her own version of the Cyber Sword, the same one she'd constantly trained with against Protoman. "... I'm ready whenever you are, Kali. If this will help bring Megaman back... I'll do whatever it takes." Kali smirked, giving a nod. "Excellent... You really are ready..." Kali held her right arm up as darkness began to envelop it. Within seconds, a black Cyber Sword was grafted to her arm. "Your Roll Sword against my Dark Sword... This should be a fun warm-up..."

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In another part of Undernet 6, Shade Man and the tall, dark figure stood, watching the screen focusing upon the impending battle between Roll and Kali. Shademan smirked. "Wh-wheeee! Master Laserman, it seems that this will be where the job really begins..." Laserman nodded, neon lights shining all over his body. "Yes... To think, when Kali first came to us, she was so helpless... And we've refined her powers to truly threaten all net society." Shademan looked to Laserman, chuckling a bit. "I sensed it within Kali. Though she is Roll's Dark Soul, she was not birthed to the Net by means of our Dark Chips... Infact, her data clearly shows that it was only mere hours after she learned of Megaman's deletion." Laserman stood still, crossing his arms. "Using her connection with Roll to make her believe she was only a part of her mind at one point, and then appearing before her at the perfect time... She's truly a cunning strategist, and a top rank battler..." Shademan nodded, his eyes shut. "What should we do with her once we've claimed the power we seek...?" Laserman huffed a bit, watching the two female Navis charge each other on screen. "She will stay in our ranks. Nebula must have all the power it can collect for our mission to be a true success..."

To Be Continued...

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Mayl: So now you tell who they are...

Me: Hey, it's not like I didn't make it obvious to anyone who played Megaman Battle Network 4 Blue Moon.

Lan: You sure this is a good idea though? I mean, this is an awful big spoiler for the game... And revealing who Shademan is?

Me: Relax, partner. Remember, Shademan's the first boss you fight in the game. And the Dark Chip and Dark Soul aren't really too big of a spoiler as long as I don't get into how far it's reach is.

Zero: #Sighs a bit, scratching the back of his head# Suddenly I think of myself and the Zero Virus...

Me: Oh, you mean with how it can possess those vulnerable to it and turn them into totally different beings? Yeah, that's about what a Dark Soul does unless it's forced out...

Lan: I thought you said you weren't going into it!!!

Me: IT'S STILL NOT THAT BIG A SPOILER!!!

Lan: YOU WANNA FIGHT?!!

Me: #Snatches Zero's Z-Saber and holds it to Lan's throat.# If you're suicidal, then yeah, sure.

Lan: #Gulps a bit# I'm good...

Me: Good. Anywho, that's it for this ridiculously long chapter, folks. I've got big plans for the next few, so see ya later!!!


	17. True Intentions Revealed, Part 2

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 17 – True Intentions Revealed, Part 2

Me: This totally sucks!!!

Higsby: What's with you, huh?

Me: FFNet isn't supporting paragraph indenting anymore...

Numberman.EXE: And that's really such a big problem? It's only paragraph indentation, and you never used to indent before you started writing this story.

Me: I'M A FLIPPIN' PERFECTIONIST!!!

Higsby: Too much of one if ya ask me, huh...

Me: #Snaps his fingers and watches Heavy Man's Hard Knuckle pound both Numberman and Higsby.# Anywho, enough insane ranting for now. On with the storyyyyy!!!

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Roll and Kali cried out and slammed their swords into one another, sending bolts of black and pink lightning shooting wildly around. The battle had truly begun. Roll smirked at Kali through grit teeth. "You're really tough..." Kali grinned evilly, starting to push forward a little harder now. "Of course. I AM you!!! RRAAAAAHHH!!!" Kali ducked beneath the Roll Sword and slashed at Roll's abdomen. Roll flipped back at the last second, merely taking a small laceration to the lower half of her leg. She landed softly on the ground, grinning and holding her free hand out. "ROLL BURST!!!" Firing the same move that totally annihilated Drillman Omega, she sent thousands of pink energy streams at Kali. Kali jumped back, then did a front flip. "SHADOW HURRICANE!!!" Immediately, a black, and even more powerful version, of the Roll Hurricane was launched, sucking in all the blasts. Roll gasped as the Hurricane concentrated them and came at her, slamming into her and exploding on contact. She shrieked out, flying back and slamming hard onto the ground. "Gghh..."

In the mean time, Protoman was leading Gutsman, Numberman, Glyde, Iceman, Sharkman, Woodman, and Skullman through the first area of the Undernet. Skullman rushed forward, catching up with Protoman and tilting his head at a 90 degree angle. "So either you're daft, or Roll's in danger of being deleted by a shadow of herself?" Protoman nodded, slashing through a Fishy3 virus. Numberman looked back, sweatdropping slightly. "Everyone, we've got viruses at 6 O'Clock!!!" Woodman came to a screeching halt, turning around and holding both hands forward towards the viruses. 2 of them were Slimeys, and the other a Spikey3. Sal appeared on screen behind him. "Two Tree Bomb 3, coming up!!!" Sal immediately inserted the two battle chips into her PET, giving Woodman the arsenal he needed to deal with the Slimeys. He launched the seeds forward, into the Slimeys' paths. Once the Slimeys were above, he used his power over the Wood Element to sent not seeds, but two wooden spears, straight through them, deleting them.

Sharkman grinned and dove underneath the surface of the path, emerging behind the Spikey3. "EAT THIS!!! BUBBLER!!!" Sharkman launched forward the Bubbler chip from behind the Spikey3, dealing a large amount of damage to it. He finished this small task by simply biting it in half. Protoman and the others continued running as Woodman and Sharkman finished up and began to follow once more. Protoman grimaced, thinking to himself. 'Roll, just hold on. Don't let her deceive you!'

At the same time the others were making haste through Undernet 1, Roll was dragging herself to her feet. That blast inflicted a heavy amount of damage to her body. Kali, though, had no mercy. She charged forward and thrust her sword towards Roll. Roll caught this at the last possible second, and quickly jumped sideways. "Kali, I wasn't even ready!!!" Kali held her sword up infront of her face, concealing an evil grin. "Roll, I told you, no mercy!!! If we're going to bring your power to fruition, you can't hold any attachment to me! Fight as if you were fighting for your life against Quickman, Drillman, or Flamman!!! Hold NOTHING BACK!!!" On her free hand, a black cannon formed. She held it up, aiming right for Roll's chest. "DARK CANNON!!!" With this cry, she sent a black ball of energy straight from the cannon. Roll guarded with her sword and ribbons, but the power was far too much. It exploded on contact and sent her back again. She flipped in mid-air, landing on one knee.

"So... fight like that, huh...? Alright then, that's just what I'll do!!!" Roll stood up, her aura forming around her again. She screamed out and flew forward at Kali, slashing at her with blinding speed. Kali grit her teeth, only barely dodging. 'She's good. Laserman's right, she is becoming a threat. No matter, though. Once I take this power of hers, she'll be a threat no more...' Kali winced as one of the sword thrusts curved into a slash, cutting into her side. She looked down at the blood starting to run, then glared to Roll. "Nice work..." Roll took no time to respond, quickly forming a cannon on her free hand and pressing it to Kali's chest. "ROLL CANNON!!!" Kali shrieked out as the cannon fired point blank into her chest, sending her flying back over onto the edge of the path. Roll panted a bit, sweat pouring down her body inside her suit. Kali grit her teeth, standing up. Two busters formed on both her hands. She raised them, pressing them together and digging her feet into the ground. "DARK BLAST!!!"

Roll's eyes shot wide as she saw the very same move she used against Quickman being used on her. She poured all the energy she was using for her Cannon and Sword into a Barrier, but even this wasn't holding up well. The darkness of the blast quickly vaporized the shield, engulfing her. Roll screamed out at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing right into the very depths of the Undernet. She fell to the ground, barely conscious, panting heavily and covered in blood. Kali started to walk forward, her arm held out as her Dark Sword formed once more. "Is this all you've got, Roll?!! Megaman will never be able to return with such a pathetically low power inside you!!! He'll remain in the junk data piles of the internet for the rest of eternity!!!"

Roll's eyes shot wide as she heard this. Tears rolled down her cheeks at the thought of never seeing the one she loved ever again, and this was something she simply could not stand. Roll's eyes glowed pure white, her emblem giving off a blinding flash. Kali grit her teeth, shielding her eyes until the flash died off enough just to be seen through. She gasped, seeing an enormous energy blade shooting up into the sky. This sword's power was so immense, computers in even the ACDC Area could pick up at least trace readings. Kali grinned, shifting all her powers into a barrier. 'That's the way, Roll... You're ready...' Roll cried out as blade reached the peak of it's power, maxing out everything. "MEGAMAN WILL COME BACK!!! I WON'T LET HIM STAY DELETED!!! LIIIGHT BLAAAAADE!!!" Immediately, she flew up a good 20 feet, slamming the sword down. Kali screamed out, the sword piercing through her barrier mere seconds after it hit, engulfing her.

A half hour later, Kali regained consciousness, moaning in pain. She sat up, coughing up a little blood. "I... I never thought it would be so powerful..." She sighed, using a Dark Recover on herself to fully restore her body. She walked to Roll, kneeling down and doing the same for her. Roll's eyes fluttered open as she looked to Kali, smiling. "I... is it enough...?" Kali smirked evilly, holding her hand up. "Yes, my "dear" Roll...", she said in a very sarcastic tone, "It's more than we could ever need..." Roll suddenly had a growing fear within her as she sat there, shaking her head. "K... Kali, what're you doooaaaaaAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGHHH!!!" Roll's back arched in pain as black beams shot from Kali's fingertips into her emblem. She cried out, trying to break away desperately, but to no avail. "Forget it, Roll!!! My Energy Withdrawal technique paralyzes the victim!!! You'll be helpless for a while after this, but don't worry, you'll still live!!!" Kali grinned as a sphere of white and pink energy was drawn out, leaving Roll weak on the floor. She looked to Kali, tears rolling down her cheeks. "K... Kali... wh... why are you...?"

Kali grinned, standing up, looming over the helpless Navi below her. "I used you, Roll... I can't believe you actually trusted me. It was so easy!!!" Roll shook her head, gritting her teeth and slowly forcing herself onto her hands and knees. "B... but... why...?" Kali blinked, then smirked as she thought to herself. 'Impressive... she's as determined as ever. Any other Navi would be paralyzed for a good 3 hours...' "I guess you deserve an explanation... You see, I lead for a very special organization. Your power is a necessary asset. With it, we're guaranteed success with our plan. You've just been a pawn in all this... Just like that pathetic fool Quickman, and then, of course, there were Flamman and Drillman..." Roll's eyes shot wide as she heard this, gritting her teeth. "Y... you... set them up for me...? And... and you lied to me... about restoring Megaman...?" Kali smirked a bit, tossing the sphere of power up and down idly. "Actually, the part about Megaman is true... You see, what we're going to do with this is revive all the lost Navis that Megaman deleted. We may even bring him back on our side... You can join us, Roll. You can still be with Megaman once more..." Roll just sat there, looking her in the face. She grit her teeth, then spit on her, her eyes narrowed into a very defiant glare.

"I'd never join whatever group you have a hand in... And even if... Even if Megaman's revived like that, he wouldn't be the Megaman I knew anymore... I'll sooner die than join your ranks..." Kali shrugged, forming her Dark Sword once more. "Suit yourself..." Just as she raised it in the air to swing at roll, something clacked on the ground behind her. She looked back, her eyes going wide. It was 2 die, sixes facing up on both. Kali vanished as they exploded, appearing a few feet back. Numberman walked forward, holding another pair of die. "You'll have to delete us all, then." Protoman moved from the back of the ranks, his visor up. His eyes were narrowed into a piercing glare that he'd never used before. Never in his life had he been so angry. "Kali..." Kali giggled a bit, holding the sphere under her right arm. "So the boys want to play..." She turned around, smirking a bit. "I haven't got time for games... None of you are a true threat anymore anyways. See you later..." Kali immediately vanished into the shadows from there. Protoman rushed forward, kneeling down by Roll. "Roll! Are you alright?!!" Roll nodded weakly, tears rolling down her cheeks. She grasped onto Protoman tightly, starting to sob into his chest. Protoman blinked, then sighed, looking down and shutting down his Cyber Sword. He hugged her back, his visor going down once more. "... Don't worry... she's going to pay for what she's done..."

Back at the Nebula base in Undernet 6, Kali presented Laserman with the sphere. Laserman chuckled, holding it up in the air. "Once it's tainted with the true power of Darkness, nothing will be able to stand in our way... But there is one thing I wish to discuss with you, Kali..." Kali blinked, nodding. "Yes, sir?" Laserman looked down at her, holding the sphere in one of his large hands. "You called yourself the leader of our group... I hope for your sake there was no meaning behind that. It was a very convincing performance..." Kali shook her head, smiling to him. "No sir. I just believed that when the day came, you would like to announce to the world Nebula and it's purpose..." Laserman stood silent for a moment, looking her up and down seriously. He then nodded, handing the sphere back to her. Kali blinked a bit, looking up to him as he began to speak. "You are Roll's Dark Soul, the dark side of her very being. As such, I entrust you to bring this power into our full control. If anything happens to this sphere though, your deletion will be a slow and painful one. Understood?" Kali gave a solemn nod. "Of course..."

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Me: Well, now that Roll knows Kali's motives, it's only a matter of time until this story's over.

Elecman.EXE: I've heard that one before...

Me: Hey, it's common sense, man!!! This is like... like the Koto area in Megaman Battle Network 2!!! It's gonna be the final area that's super long and puts the characters in the most stress they've ever gone through!!!

Mayl: But HOW do you expect Roll to fight without her sphere in the story?!!

Me: Bah, minor speed bump I've already gotten over. Trust me.

Mayl: Hmph, I could probably run this story way better than you anyways...

Me: The focus would have to be on Roll, Mayl, not your diary entries or your love life with Lan...

Mayl: SH-SHUT UP!!!

Me: #Grins# Well, that's it for this excruciatingly long chapter, ladies and gents. See ya next time around!!!


	18. The Beginning of a Nightmare

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 18 – The Beginning of a Nightmare

Me: Well, this is definitely an interesting question.

Roll Casket: Hm? What would that be?

Me: Oh, just flippin' through reviews. I found a real interestin' question here. Anime Master ZERO's asking if I'm gonna make an army of Navis like in the anime, or it'll be down to the two Navis and one operator.

Cutman.EXE: Just don't say who the operator is.

Me: Nah, that'd spoil the game. Anywho, I'm kind of going to be inbetween, as you'll see in this chapter. No, Navis like Burnerman and Coldman won't be opponents here, but yes, there are gonna be a lot of good memories brought back. One example will be our friend Knightman.EXE! Good guy in the series, but bad in the games. I try and stick mostly to game plot, especially because the anime was butchered when it came to America. Besides, the game came first, so I believe it holds the most rights.

Mayl: Talk about getting in deep...

Me: I like explaining things. ON WITH THE STORY NOW!!!

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Roll groaned a bit as she lay once more in the Virus Lab. She was currently receiving the best medical treatment available, on request personally by Dr. Hikari and Chaud. Mayl sighed, watching the process on screen as they transferred energy into her. "Lan... I'm scared for her. She's never been this drained before, ever..." Lan sighed, holding Mayl close and rubbing her back as he watched with her. "From what Protoman said, she did have a lot of her power forcefully removed from her body. I think that would leave anyone in this state..." Chaud came in from behind, his hands in his pockets. "We have to find Kali, though... With Roll's powers, she and whatever organization she's leading will be a huge threat to Net Society. We have to nip this in the bud, before it turns into a real problem." Roll's eyes fluttered open, having been barely conscious the entire time. She looked to Chaud, Lan, and Mayl through the screen, careful not to move so as not to disrupt all the wires streaming energy into her body. "As... As soon as I'm back on my feet, I'll help..."

Mayl shook her head, stomping a foot down, screaming at the top of her lungs. "NO!!!" Lan and Chaud blinked, stunned by this outburst. Mayl looked to Roll, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Roll, you don't stand a chance if Kali uses your own powers against you, you know that!!!" Roll smiled weakly, then shook her head. "Mayl... I've never stood out of any fight that involved our friends before... And this time, it's my fault all this is happening. Kali is my darkness, and it's my responsibility to stop her..." Mayl lowered her head, her fists clenched. "Roll..." Roll sighed, lying back and shutting her eyes. "And... besides... There was still all of Protoman's training, and you can still operate me... If we work together, Kali can be stopped, I'm sure of it... Please, Mayl, I beg of you, let me fight..."

Mayl stood silently, tears dripping off her face and onto the floor. She sniffed a bit, then smiled weakly, looking up to Roll. "... Roll, I've always thought of you as my little sister... and we've been there for each other for as long as I can remember... Alright Roll, we'll go with them." Lan sighed, leaning back onto one of the control panels and sticking his tongue out a bit. "Guess it's my turn to sit on the sidelines while you guys nail the big ones, huh?" Mayl giggled a bit, then walked to Lan. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a long, passionate kiss. It was at this time Dex and Yai arrived, too. Dex had a large, satisfied grin upon his face. "I've got Gutsman customized and ready to g---..." His sentence was cut short at the sight of Mayl kissing Lan. Dex sweatdropped, then sulked, his high spirits taking a plunge right into the rocks of reality. Mayl broke the kiss, smiling to Lan. "Just root us on, okay...?" Lan blushed heavily, nodding to her with a great smile on his face. "... Yeah... Megaman and I'll both root you on..." In the meantime, Yai was currently crouched down by Dex, who was sulking in a corner. She poked him every couple of seconds, an embarrassed look upon her face. "Dex, you can stop acting like such a baby now..."

The next day at Scilab, preparations for battle were being completed. In the Beach Area, just before the gate to the Undernet, Roll was back on her feet, and strangely enough, in great fighting form. She slashed a Cyber Sword through the air, getting some warm-up slices in before she and the others went off to battle. Many good friends had shown up to assist them in the fight. Among them were Tori and Iceman, Sal and Woodman, Masa and Sharkman, Miyu and Skullman, Higsby and Numberman, and of course, Gutsman and Dex, and Yai and Glyde. Roll and Mayl were going to lead the group with Chaud and Protoman. Protoman sighed, turning his back to the group and giving a nod to a communications link hovering above them. Chaud was facing through it.

He gave a simple nod, looking to the Navi Operators and beginning to speak. "Everyone, we're going deep into the Undernet again, but this time, it's going to be far more dangerous. We're going after what is most likely the beginning of an International Net crime syndicate. This is an extremely dangerous task, and it's quite possible some of your Navis may be totally deleted. If anyone here has any second thoughts, then go. No one in this room will think any less of you." After this, there was a silence in the room. Tori smiled, looking to Chaud. "Look, if we wanted to back out, we would have done it when we got word of this." Sal nodded, smiling. "Woodman and I won't let you guys handle this yourselves." Higsby nodded, looking to Numberman. Numberman nodded in return, looking to Protoman. "We're all going to fight this out to the bitter end, and there's no chance any of us are backing down, am I right?"

"I'll say you are!!!", called a mysterious, yet familiar voice. This turned everyone's heads, on the Net, and in the real world. Tora and Raoul walked in, giving nods. Lan stood up from a chair he was in away from the group, walking over to the duo and nodding. "Glad you guys got my e-mail." Tora slapped Lan on the back, chuckling a bit. "Hey, I wouldn't miss this for the world!!! We nailed Wily's base together, you think I'd let you guys go up against a group like this by yourselves? No chance!!!" Raoul nodded, walking to one of the remaining Jack-in ports and sending Thunderman onto the Net. Raoul looked to the rest of the group, giving a simple nod. "Lan defeated me, and in so, defeated my clan. At the very least, I owe him this much to honor his Net Battle skills." Lan sweatdropped, scratching the back of his head. "Can we just get on with this, you guys? They're not gonna wait for us down there!!!" Everyone nodded at once and turned their attention to the PETs. Protoman formed his Hero Sword and pointed forward to the Undernet's gate. "Alright everyone, move out!!!"

Kali grinned a bit, watching as the horde of Navis entered the Undernet. Laserman had ordered the rest of Nebula to clear out of the old base to a new one currently under development. This was because Kali pointed out that if Nebula was to be prematurely exposed to Net Officials, then all of their activities would be jeopardized. Kali paced a little bit, keeping the energy sphere tightly in her grasp. The sphere was already well over 75% consumed by darkness. "It's not fully ready yet... But I have enough to create a few delays. Let's see here... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11... An 11 Navi and Operator attack force." Her grin turned to a look of minor concern. She looked to the sphere, smirking.

"Well, I guess that I'll just have to bring back a few of those other weaklings... First up will be..." She shut her eyes, thinking hard. Once she had the Navi she would use in mind, a black cloud formed before her. From it, a large figure, sparking electricity appeared. As the cloud died, a red, white, black and gray uniform could be seen upon the bulky figure. Kali smirked, opening a portal to Undernet 1. "Magnetman Omega!!! I've revived you to annihilate the group on screen to my left. You will fight until either they are deleted, or you are. Are we clear?!" Magnetman gave a nod, soulless eyes gazing at Kali. Kali grinned a bit, tapping into the sphere's energies once more and sending Magnetman to the passage between Undernet 1 and Undernet 2. Kali sat down in a large, black chair, looking at the screen. "It's too bad that right now I can only summon and teleport one Navi Ghost at a time... But I should at least be able to delay them until I can tap into it's full power... Come along now, boys and girls. You'll all be deleted by the end of the day!!!"

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Roll Light: Jeez, you think they have enough firepower?

Me: Not hardly. But I'll make due.

Lan: How exactly do you plan to do that?! Roll's Trump Card's in the hands of that psycho copy!!!

Kali: This "Psycho Copy" could kick your sorry butt any day, you little twerp.

Me: Sheeee's got a point Lan. Remember, outside the story, there's nothing to hold her back from... #Blinks at the sudden crashes in the background, then turns slowly, wincing at the sight of a badly beaten and mangled Lan.# ... I warned you...

All Navis in the current Battle Party in the story: WE HAVE TO FIGHT THAT?!!

Me: ... maybe I overpowered her...

Mayl: YA THINK?!!

Me: No, I KNOW! Ah well, I'm good at improvising, I'll figure something out. That's it for this chapter, ladies and gents!!! See ya in Chapter 19!!!


	19. The First Obstacle

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 19 – The First Obstacle

Mayl: You're posting three chapters at once?!!

Me: Well, duh!!! I wasn't able to upload Chapters 17 and 18 on our working computer at my house, and getting them on the crap computer is a real pain in the butt!!!

Blizzard Wolfang: This is still ridiculous. You should upload just one a day...

Me: Well, first off, that would kill the point of this conversation. This IS Chapter 19!!!

Mayl and Blizzard: ...

Me: Secondly, I WOULD'VE uploaded one a day, but I was in no mood the day I finished 17, and when I finished 18, I wanted to, but then there was that computer bit I just mentioned.

Mayl: You really need Microsoft Word on that thing...

Me: Tell me about it. That Notepad bit doesn't work half as well. #Sighs, then shrugs# Anywho, everyone, no suspense here. Just enjoy the battle with Magnetman.EXE!!!

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Skullman blinked a little bit, looking around as the battle party moved through the Undernet. Iceman blinked, turning back and looking up at Skullman. "What's wrong with you?" Skullman looked down to Iceman, his eyes narrowed. "Somethin's in the air. I don't like it one bit..." Protoman blinked, hearing sparks of electricity. He looked up, then hastily shifted his gaze to the rest of the party behind him. "EVERYONE, SCATTER!!!" Just as a Magnet Bomb shot down from the air, everyone jumped back, watching it explode into the ground. Magnetman Omega chuckled and floated down. "Not bad at all. You all managed to dodge my assault. Well, mostly..." Sharkman grit his teeth, holding one arm. Some of the electricity from the blast had numbed it, but there was no severe damage. Protoman walked forward, his Hero Sword appearing. "I take it that you're a copy of Gauss' old Navi..."

Magnetman chuckled, shaking his head. "Sorry, Protoman, but I'm the real thing. I remember everything, right down to how that pathetic runt Megaman deleted me on the air plane! But he's not here to save you now..." Magnetman yelled out and slammed one fist down, sending a Magnet Line forward and behind him. All the Navis in the group were immediately drawn down to the ground. Roll grit her teeth, trying to move, but getting no where fast. "D... darn you, Magnetman!!!" Thunderman tried to move, but was quickly brought down, lying on his stomach. Magnetman chuckled and looked behind himself to the crippled Thunderman. "Science lesson, pal. Electricity powers up Magnets!" Once he turned his attention from Thunderman again, he walked forward towards Roll, forming a Magnet Bomb and holding it ready. "This girl's still a real threat to our group's goal. I'll delete her FIRST!!!"

Just as he raised the Magnet Bomb, prepared to slam it into Roll's head, something slammed into his back, knocking him forward and onto his side. He winced, looking at a leaf sticking to his back. Woodman stood tall, his hands held out. "You're not going to touch her." Magnetman grimaced, thinking to himself. 'So much for an easy victory. I'd forgotten, Woodman's a Wood Elemental. My Magnets won't have any effect on his body...' Magnetman stood, cracking his knuckles. "Well, I guess you're the only thing standing between your friends and deletion. Not much of a defense, really."

Sal's image appeared behind Woodman, her eyes narrowed into a fierce glare. "It's going to be more than enough of a defense to take you down, Magnetman! Woodman, get ready for a fight!!! Grass Stage, slot in!!!" She slipped the chip for Grass Stage in, covering the area in tall grass. Just as the others were about to stand again, Magnetman created another Magnet Line, smirking. "Sorry boys and girls, but this is a one-on-one fight. Don't worry, though, you'll all get your turns!"

Back at the old Nebula base, Kali watched the screen as Woodman prepared himself for battle. Her eyes narrowed seriously, her fingers drumming over the sphere. "This is going to be a very interesting battle. Magnetman may be an Omega Navi, but Woodman's element and that stage pretty much levels out the playing field. I guess it all comes down to which Navi's got the best strategy..." She looked down into the sphere, giggling a bit. The sphere's conversion was now 87% complete. She stroked it gently, looking into the black cloud beginning to envelop it. "It won't be long now..."

Back on the battle field, Magnetman and Woodman had already begun to fight. Both were locked, literally, in hand-to-hand combat. Woodman growled, a serious look on his face. "You won't lay one finger on my friends..." Magnetman grinned through grit teeth, struggling against Woodman just as much as Woodman was against him. "A weakling like you doesn't stand a chance, I'd suggest you quit while you're ahead!!!" Magnetman yelled out and sent two Magnet Bombs at Woodman from the sides, impacting directly. Woodman fell back a bit, landing on a grass panel and beginning to absorb energy from it. "It's not gonna be nearly that simple!!!" Woodman jumped up into the air, slamming down hard and sending Wood Spikes beneath Magnetman at all sides. Magnetman hollered out, flying up into the air a bit as the spikes made contact. He caught himself in mid-air and touched down on the ground smoothly. "BI-POLAR TACKLE!!!" Magnetman rushed forward as a blue copy of himself appeared behind Woodman. Woodman's eyes shot wide as this happened, taking the full impact of both blows. He yelled out, dropping to one knee and shivering. Even for a Wood Element, this was an enormous amount of electrical energy to absorb.

Magnetman raised his hands into the air, forming a Zap Ring and throwing it forward. Woodman jumped to the side, skidding a little onto one of the Magnet Panels. "You're good... but I'm better!!!" Sal smirked, nodding to Woodman. "Lance, Slot In!!!" Immediately, three spears pierced into Magnetman's back, sending him forward. He caught himself by using his magnetic energy to parallel himself off the ground. "Why you..." Magnetman looked up as he said this, just to come face to face with a Bamboo Sword. Woodman slashed Magnetman across the chest, sending him stumbling back. He held back any cries of pain, immediately forming an Elec Sword. "You're tiring out, Woodman..." Woodman narrowed his eyes, holding a defensive stance. "And you're weakening with every blow." Magnetman chuckled, drawing his sword back. "I guess it comes down to this... LET'S GO!!!" Immediately, both Navis charged each other. Woodman may have had a high enough defense to hold his own, but with the combination of Magnetman's speed and power, he was definitely in a bind. Sal grit her teeth, biting her thumbnail anxiously. 'What can I do to help... I GOT IT!!!' Just before the swords made contact on both Navis, Sal slid a battle chip into her PET, gripping it tightly. "I hope it activated in time..."

As the Navis clashed, a bright flash filled Undernet 1. As the flash died, Magnetman and Woodman stood, backs to one another. Magnetman's Elec Sword vanished seconds after he and Woodman were visible once more, his collapse following quickly. "H... How did you...?" Sal grinned, giving a Peace sign to the screen. "I slid in a Barrier 200 just before you two slashed at each other. I honestly wasn't sure if it would activate in time!" Woodman dropped to one knee, panting heavily. Magnetman grinned, cackling a little. "None of you will stand a chance... When Kali's plans are carried out..." With those last words, he vanished into a cloud of data. The Magnet Line that had the other Navis bound to the floor vanished soon after. Roll rushed to Woodman, kneeling down. "Woodman, that was great!!! But are you going to be alright?!" Woodman stood, holding a slash mark in his side. "Just a little worn out... I'll be fine to go on with you guys." Roll smiled, putting her hands over the wound and sending some healing energy into it. Woodman blinked, then nodded down to her. Roll nodded back and turned, looking into Undernet 2. "Guess that's our next stop. Let's get going..."

Kali grimaced at this sight, standing up from her chair and holding the orb in both hands. "Hmph... I failed to notice they have a Navi of every element but Fire... Still, with three out of four, they still have enough strength to hold their own. I have to delete that Wood Element first..." She grinned, a black flame forming behind her. Immediately, Flamman appeared behind her. She turned, walking forward and glaring to him. "You failed me once, Flamman, but I'm giving you a final chance. You are the most powerful Fire Elemental Navi to date. THAT is why you are back. Fail me again, and I will make sure not even a scrap of your data remains..." Flamman cringed at the thought, the nodded, being teleported to Undernet 2. Kali smirked, walking up to the screen and holding the orb. "When this Woodman falls, then all the rest will come tumbling down... They'll be at my mercy."

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Sal: Heheheheheheh...

Mayl: What's she in such high spirits about?

Me: What else? If my Navi beat an Omega, I think that I'd be a little excited too.

Ice Man ( Original ): Hey, where's Lan?

Me: Oh, he's in the infirmary. After what Kali did at the end of last chapter, he was kinda in need of medical attention...

Mayl: #Glares right to Kali#

Kali: #Returns the glare, her fists clenched#

Everyone else: #Watches as a massive cat fight breaks out, then sweatdrops as Kali's flung through a wall#

Mayl: C'MON, KALI!!! I GOT LOTS MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM!!!

Me: #Sweatdrops enormously and looks to Roll# Please tell I'm having a horrible, horrible nightmare...

Roll: #Shakes her head, dumbfounded# ... I think you need to run, Death. You DID create Kali, after all...

Me: #Nods a bit and shifts into the body of a baby fox, jumping into Roll's arms and shivering#

Everyone else but Roll, Kali and Mayl: YOU WUSS!!!

Me: HEY!!! I VALUE MY LIFE!!! Anywho, folks, considering I live through this, I'll see ya'll next chapter!!!


	20. The Burning Passion for Revenge, Part 1

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 20 – The Burning Passion for Revenge, Part 1

Me: #Sighs, sitting at the crappy computer in his den, typing up the story again#

Mayl: Writing it again, huh?

Me: Yup, second chapter today.

Lan: #Sighs, fully healed# At least I'm outta those casts... So why're you writing two chapters today?

Me: Meh, not like there's anything else to do here right now. Besides, I'm a little tired of hunting the last 13 battle chips I need to find Serenade in Battle Network 3. Giving it a rest.

Megaman.EXE: Those PlasmaGlobes are a real pain to find when you actually need them...

Me: Yup.

Roll.EXE: So I'm facing Flamman again, right?

Me: Well, not you, but to handle his firepower, no pun intended, there'll be a certain two out there I'm sure everyone knows.

Roll Casket: #Sarcastically# Wow, I wonder who it could be...?

Me: Veeery funny, blondie. Anywho, on with the story now!

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Flamman stood in the very center of Undernet 2, reminiscing over the time Roll deleted his Beta form. He growled, slamming arms down on the ground. Rage consumed him as his green flames started to grow more and more immense and powerful. He let out a howl, sending the blazes upward into the highest points of the Undernet. He panted, his candles glowing with the healing flames as he let his energy restore. "R... Roolll... delete... Rollll..."

About 15 minutes later, Protoman's group came to where Flamman was. Roll grit her teeth, clutching her chest and stepping backwards a bit. Gutsman blinked, tilting his head. "Whatsamatter, Roll? Ya look like ya saw a ghost." Roll looked to Gutsman and faked a smile, shaking her head. "I... I'm fine. Just a chill is all..." She looked down, sighing. 'A familiar chill... I felt this not too long ago, I know it...' Roll blinked, then looked down. There was wax on the floor around her feet. She knelt down, then gasped, looking up. "EVERYONE!!! LOOK OUT!!!" Immediately, a huge green blaze shot forward. Iceman and Sharkman grit their teeth, jumping infront of it and holding their hands out. Protoman knew this stance, then looked to Gutsman. "GUTSMAN!!! KNOCK OUT THE PANELS INFRONT OF ICEMAN AND SHARKMAN!!!" Gutsman nodded, jumping up and slamming his fists through the floor. He then jumped back just as Masa and Tori nodded to one another, holding up a Water type Battle Chip. "GEYSER, SLOT IN!!!" Immediately, the Geyser chips were activated, creating walls of water that caught the flames and put them out. Iceman and Sharkman sighed in relief, plopping down. Protoman blinked, walking forward over the fissure as it restored itself. "... There's nothing there..."

Roll stepped back, her eyes wide as she hugged herself. "... Flamman..." Immediately, a long hand appeared behind Roll, wrapping itself about her throat, cutting off her air and making it impossible for her to scream. Mayl's eyes shot wide as she saw this, slamming her free hand down on the control panels she and the others were jacked into. "ROLL!!!" Immediately, the other Navis shifted their attention to Roll, and to Flamman. Flamman grinned, throwing Roll back and into one of his candles. The wax shot out and wrapped about her mouth, neck, waist, arms and legs, totally immobilizing her. Protoman grit his teeth and started to rush forward. "FLAMMAAAN!!!" Before he even got past the group, two arms shot out infront of him. They were Sharkman's and Iceman's. Iceman looked up to Protoman, shaking his head. "We'll deal with him... We have the advantage." Flamman chuckled, tilting his head side to side. "D... delete... delete... deleeete...!" Protoman clenched his fists, growling as he stood there. He sighed, nodding. "Fine... but he's a lot more powerful now than he was when Roll and I faced him. If there's ANY trouble, I'm jumping in..."

Iceman and Sharkman nodded silently and moved forward. Masa and Tori stood side by side, ready to fight when called for. Iceman narrowed his eyes, speaking up. "Let her go now, Flamman!!! We have more important things to do than deal with you!!!" Flamman growled, a green flame forming on his candle, the matching flame enveloping him. "DELEEEEEETE!!!" He drew his head back, then send forth a huge blaze. Iceman and Sharkman both jumped to the side, barely dodging it at all. Sharkman growled, sinking under the panels. "Guess that it's gonna be an all out fight!!! Let's go, Iceman!!!" Iceman rushed forward, forming an Ice Bomb and throwing it forward, while Sharkman charged from under the panels. Flamman looked behind him, a red flame starting to glow on Roll's candle. She gasped as the wax slowly started to cover her, loosening up enough for her to fight a little, but not enough for an escape. She gave muffled screams as it slowly sucked her in, attempting to dispose of her first and foremost. Iceman's eyes went wide as he saw this. He then looked up to Tori. "Tori!!! I need a gun-type!!!" Tori nodded, pulling out a Shotgun chip. "SHOTGUN, SLOT IN!!!" He slid it in, giving Iceman a little buster of his own. Immediately, he jumped up, shooting out the candle flame, and saving Roll for the time being.

Flamman took the full force of both Navis attacks, but, to no surprise of Protoman, just stood still. Protoman shook his head, hollering out to the two. "AS LONG AS THAT GREEN FLAME'S UP, HE'S INVINCIBLE!!! YOU HAVE TO PUT IT OUT FIRST!!!" Iceman nodded, looking to Sharkman. "Sharkman!!! You concentrate on attacking, I'll work on the flames!!!" Flamman smirked a bit, his eyes glowing. A Burner virus appeared behind Woodman. Woodman blinked, his eyes going wide just as he felt the impact of the flames. He screamed out in agony, falling to the ground in flames. Numberman's eyes went wide. "WOODMAN!!!" He rushed over, Higsby supplying him with a Bubbler battle chip to douse the fires. After the burner was a horde of fire viruses, from Spikeys to Burners, Meteors to Smashers. Protoman growled, then pointed his sword forward. "Iceman and Sharkman can help Roll and deal with Flamman!!! WE have to concentrate on the viruses and protecting Woodman!!! EVERYONE, MOVE OUT!!!" With that, the Navis led by Protoman moved onto their assault against the lethal viruses attempting to disrupt the battle between Flamman, Iceman, and Sharkman.

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Megaman Volnutt: That was pretty good.

Me: Yeah. It's been sitting in my Yahoo! Briefcase for almost 2 weeks now. I figured I'd best get this and the other chapters I didn't upload up.

Mayl: You're such a slacker.

Me: Proud of it.

Lan: #Pokes idly at a large white wing sticking out of the ground#

Me: #Blinks and looks to Lan, then sweatdrops# LAN, NO!!! THAT'S---

The Skiver: #Pops out of the ground and goes on a blindingly fast assault against Lan#

Me: ... Rule one, never disturb a Reploid's grave...

Megaman X: Despite the fact Capcom does that to Zero countless times over.

Zero: HEY!!!

Me: Well, before this becomes something I'm forced to clean up, I'll close this. See you all next chapter!!!


	21. The Burning Passion for Revenge, Part 2

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 21 – The Burning Passion for Revenge, Part 2

Me: #Yawns out and jams to "Edge" from the Dot Hack Liminality OST#

Roll Light: What're you doing up at nearly 11 PM if you're yawning like that?

Me: I seriously don't like going to bed early, and Dot Hack Dusk is gonna be on at 1:30.

Blackrose: You've been obsessed with that thing, huh?

Me: Yeah. Once the final issue of the manga comes out in November, I'll be happy as ever.

Megaman.EXE: That was an online game though, right...?

Me: Yup. Filled with user created viruses and data bugs that were totally invincible.

Megaman.EXE, Roll.EXE, Glyde.EXE, and Gutsman.EXE: #Look up at Skeith, Cubia, Magus, and Innis# Oh crap...

Me: ... note to self. Do not bring up Dot Hack in any Megaman series unless crossing over stories.

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Iceman grit his teeth, jumping from side to side as he ducked past and around Flamman's attacks, all the while using chip after chip to make sure Roll's candle didn't stay lit for any length of time. Despite he and Tori's efforts, they were starting to run low on Battle Chips with which to keep the candles flames at bay. To worsen the matter, Roll's eyes were beginning to become enveloped in the slick, white substance. Sharkman yelled out as he shot up from under Flamman, slamming hard into his chest. Flamman reared back and stumbled backwards a few feet before slamming his fore arms down and charging forward. Sharkman noticed this and swam forward at a great speed to match Flamman's. Both Navis collided head on with one another, in a dead lock with one another. "Iceman, how're you holding up there?!!" Iceman nodded, finally able to stand still and catch his breath. "I'll be able to stop the candle at a close range!!! Just cover me!!!" With that, Iceman charged forward, taking in a deep breath and getting ready to send an ice wave forth.

Flamman took notice to this, then drew his head back, ramming it hard into Sharkman's skull and sending him flying back a good 5 feet. Immediately, Flamman turned around, taking a huge breath and unleashing an enormous blaze. Just as Iceman launched his ice wave, it hit the blaze, cutting it off entirely. Some of the blaze managed to strike Roll's candle, reigniting it and sending her into a world of pain. Her eyes shot wide as she screamed out, the force of her cry piercing through the wax momentarily. The wax was starting to form even faster now, almost her entire body below her shoulders engulfed, save for her partially covered chest emblem, breasts, and shoulders. Tori growled, his fists clenched tightly. "We need to stop those flames..." Lan blinked, then grinned, reaching into his backpack. "I thought we might need these..." Lan grabbed a handful of battle chips and walked to Tori, handing him a Panel Out 3 chip. "The flames can't travel if there's no ground to pass on." Tori smiled at Lan, giving a happy nod. "Thanks!!!"

As Tori and Iceman put the battle chip to work, there was trouble on the battlefield with the other Navis. While most of the group was holding up fine, Woodman was struggling. Due to his elemental disadvantage, Protoman had joined forces with him, but Woodman was taking severe damage. Not even his Apple technique was enough to fully restore him at the rate he was taking fire. Protoman growled, hacking up virus after virus as he thought to himself. 'These viruses are attacking Woodman and I the most. There must be some significance as to why we're taking the full force while the others only take the wake of it!' Woodman yelled out, falling back. His data was beginning to phase in and out. He was near deletion. A Burner virus was leading the final charge. Just then, Protoman realized it. "They're attacking Woodman specifically so they can take out one of our elementals!!! Why couldn't I see it before?!!" Protoman yelled out and vanished, appearing infront of Woodman and slashing the Burner in half. He panted a bit, looking to Woodman. "Are you alright?" Woodman forced himself up. "I, I think I'll be fine through the rest of the fight..."

Sharkman and Flamman panted heavily, standing before one another. Flamman was on his last legs, while Sharkman had just a little bit more to give. He grinned, chuckling as he started to sink into the panels. "This is gonna end it!!!" Flamman's eyes shot wide as this happened. He stepped back, then looked over his shoulder to see Roll. She was only barely conscious, remaining in the same part of the candle she was in since he last saw her. He wanted his revenge against her exacted first and foremost, even if he was deleted in the process. He yelled out, slamming both arms into the ground, creating intense flames in both his candles. Roll's eyes shot wide as the unused candle floated up and formed into a ball of hot wax. It shot through the air, over Iceman's head, and onto the candle where Roll was, totally burying her. Iceman's eyes went wide as he rushed forward. "ROLL!!!" He grit his teeth, stopped by an enormous wall of flames that shot up around the candle. "R, Roll..."

It was an empty void. A void of nothing. There was a world of black that surrounded Roll now, as she lay barely conscious, looking up at a fading light. "I... it's so cold... It hurts so much... Protoman... Gutsman... Iceman... Glyde... Anyone, please... don't leave me alone..." She shut her eyes, lying her head on her side, giving in. Dark hands reached up, beginning to wrap about her body. Just as she was being pulled into her own shadow, multiple blasts of light pierced the hands, dispersing them. Roll blinked a bit, suddenly feeling energy coursing through her body. She sat up, looking around until she found a outline of a figure, barely visible through the dim light. "Wh... who are you...?" The figure smiled gently, nodding to her. "Roll, don't give up. She may have taken what's on the surface, but you still hold the power in your heart..." Roll's eyes shot wide as she heard this, recognizing the voice. "I... is that..." Before Roll could even finish, the figure turned, walking off into the darkness once more. Roll's eyes shot wide as she saw this, jumping to her feet and rushing forward. "WAIT!!!" Just as she left the light around her, a portal opened before her. She came to a halt, standing before it for a moment. She then saw a pink glow form below her face. She looked down, seeing a pink and blue sphere emerging from her chest. She stood still for a moment, then smiled, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her faith had been fully restored, and she was now ready to continue on for real. With this, she charged forward blindly through the portal, prepared for anything that may come her way.

It had been 5 minutes since Flamman was defeated. Once he was gone, the viruses that followed him merely vanished, no doubt because they were created from his data, and once the core had gone, it was a mere matter for the rest to degrade with the main body. Protoman grit his teeth as he stood before the candle, his helmet down. "No... Not her too!!! This isn't supposed to be happening, THIS ISN'T!!!" He dropped to one knee and slammed his fist into the ground, leaving a crack on the cyber floor. The other Navis stood still, their heads low. Mayl was in tears, grasping onto Lan tighter than ever before as Lan comforted her as best he could. Iceman sat on his knees, shaking his head. "It's all my fault... If I'd just seen that wax ball coming, I could've stopped it..." Just after Iceman said this, there was a pulse all throughout the Cyber World. One so powerful, a small wave could even be sensed in the real world. Mayl and Lan blinked a bit, shifting their attention to the console. Protoman, Iceman, and all the other Navis shifted their attentions to the giant pile of wax that held Roll tightly. It alternated in blue and pink glows. At first, they were only barely visible. But within a moment, the entire wax formation was shimmering. At first, it began to crack a little. But in mere seconds, entire pieces fell off, until a large blue and pink vortex shot out, shattering the wax formation and sending it flying throughout the Undernet. As the vortex died, Roll could be seen, floating in a pink and blue aura. She touched down gently on the ground, smiling to everyone else. Mayl's eyes shot wide as she grabbed her PET, a relieved look upon her face. "R, ROLL!!! You're alright!!! Thank God you're alright...!!!" She dropped to her knees, hugging her PET close. "Wh, what happened to you...?" Roll hugged herself a bit, feeling warm. "... He saved me again... and now it's my turn to save him..."

Kali growled, slamming her fist down in her chair, knocking one of the large arms clean off. "NO!!! She was supposed to be dead!!! I should have NEVER sent that accursed Flamman, he failed the first time, I should've known he'd fail the second!!!" She quaked in her seat with rage for a minute, her eyes glowing a deep crimson before she calmed down. She sighed, then smirked, looking at the screen and grasping the sphere. "It doesn't matter... Even if Roll has her power back, she won't be able to stand against me..." The sphere glowed a black light, lighting up the gray parts of Kali's uniform. She chuckled, pressing the sphere against her chest as it was swallowed up by her emblem. "It's done... And now, it's time for the real fight..." She held her hands up in the air, two Navis forming behind her. She looked over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed as she thought to herself. 'I suppose I need a little more practice. But this should do for now.' She turned to face the two Navis, walking forward with her arms at her sides. "It's time that you two had your second chance..." The two Navis nodded solemnly, keeping silent. One had a large body frame from the waist up, with what looked to be fins or blades of a sort coming out his arm gauntlets and from the center of his chest. The other was about three-quarters the first Navi's size, with a much smaller frame, floating in mid-air with 6 spikes protruding from his head. With that, both Navis vanished into mid-air, preparing for their turns to battle.

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Me: SHVEET!!!

Mayl: What're you so excited about?

Me: I just remembered that I thoroughly WHOOPED Serenade's sorry butt!!!

Lan: You may wanna fill the readers in. As far as they can tell, there was just an hour and a half gap between chapters...

Me: Ah, right. Well, those last chapters, 17-20, I had ready since the end of Summer School. I was just too lazy to get them outta my Yahoo! Briefcase and upload them. During the gap between September 2nd, yesterday, and the end of Summer School, my friend Dylan and I played MMBN3 a LOT. We both fought Serenade after chip trading with one another like mad for the data. And, well, you can figure the rest out.

Bass.EXE: Now just to see if anyone even CARES.

Me: ... y'know, if I didn't think you totally owned on too many levels to speak of, I'd have killed you a long time ago. See you guys next chapter!!!


	22. Tag Team Terror, Part 1

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 22 – Tag Team Terror, Part 1

Me: #Groans a bit, madly playing at his GBA SP#

Bass: What on Earth is he so obsessed about?

Protoman: He's playing Megaman Battle Network 3.

Bass: I thought he beat that...

Protoman: He did, as well as Serenade and the Time Trials, but now he's trying to get the last 7 Mega Class chips he needs to get the 5th star.

Megaman.EXE: #Falls back in a daze#

Bass: NOW what?!!

Protoman: He's fighting Bowlman for his V2 and V3 chips.

Bass: Ah...

Me: GGAAAAHHH!!! I CAN'T STAND IT!!! Enough of this, on with the frickin' story already!!!

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Roll and Protoman moved forward, having broken off from the rest of the group. Undernet 3 was riddled with complicated paths, so to find their way more efficiently, Netop and Navi alike agreed to the idea of splitting up into groups of two. Despite this, Roll was marching proudly forward, and actually beginning to worry Protoman with her upbeat attitude. Protoman sighed, raising his visor and looking right at Roll. "Okay, what is it that's got you so happy...?" Roll giggled a bit, floating up in the air. "I told you guys, I saw Megaman... He saved me... I know he still exists somewhere, and when I get my powers back from Kali, I'm going to do everything I can to revive him..."

Protoman sighed a bit, shaking his head. "It's not as simple as you think." Roll blinked, touching down and continuing to walk alongside Protoman. "What makes you say that? I mean, finding his data will be hard, but, it won't be impossible..." Protoman shook his head, lowering his visor again. "That's the first part of the problem. When Megaman deleted himself to save Lan, it's possible his data and some of Alpha's may have merged into one. If that's the case, it could take months to separate and extract the data. If we even make one flaw, Alpha could regenerate and fester inside Megaman after he's revived, making him an even greater threat than before..." Roll came to a stop as she heard this, looking down. That would mean Megaman would have to be deleted all over again, and the pain she suffered would once more plague her heart. Protoman sighed, standing still for a moment beside her. He looked to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "... but everyone's going to be here to help, so relax..." Roll smiled gently as Protoman said these words, then nodded gently to him. "Yeah..."

Kingman and Numberman moved together through the Undernet. Behind Kingman, his Pawns and Knights followed. Numberman looked to Kingman, doing calculations of his ally's battle strengths and weaknesses so he and Higsby would know how to compensate for them. Kingman shut his eyes as he floated along, his only means of movement since he had no legs. "This Kali woman must have immense power." Numberman nodded, finishing his calculations and transferring them onto a side display on his PET. "Yes. She's already brought back many Navis Megaman, Protoman and the others disposed of, even Flamman and Drillman. Unfortunately, I can't be positive until I see her for myself and do some calculating." Kingman shook his head, sighing a bit. "Numberman, not all battles can be won by calculations alone. You must be able to see ahead of your opponent, analyze their moves, and use their weaknesses against them." Numberman nodded, he and Kingman passing 2 enormous torches. "Yes, I suppose you're right." Kingman came to a halt, looking down at a large crater in the ground. He then scanned the area, shaking his head. "Nothing here, let's go back." Just as he and Numberman turned around, three large tornadoes formed between the torches, sucking in the flames and turning them into giant, blazing cyclones. "What manner of trickery is this?!!"

Higsby narrowed his eyes, then looked to Tora. "Be careful, something's rotten here, huh." Tora nodded, taking a Rook battle chip and inserting it into his PET. Kingman's pawns moved two spaces infront of him, while the Knight jumped dead center. Lan looked to Higsby, blinking a bit. "Use Barrier, Barrier 100, and Barrier 200 of the same codes, in that exact order, Higsby." Higsby gave Lan a nod, then did just as he was instructed. Immediately, a Program Advance occurred, changing all three Barriers into a Barrier 500 chip. Lan smiled, shutting his eyes. 'Glad I can at least be of some help...'

Numberman walked forward as his barrier was put up, looking around. "Show yourself, whoever you are!!!" Immediately, behind them, two shadowy figures appeared between another set of torches. The shorter one walked forward, his arms crossed. "Don't tell me you big guys are scared of li'l old us, now." The taller Navi scoffed a bit at the shorter one's remark, then walked forward. "Forget the small talk, let's just blow these losers away!!!" The short Navi sighed, nodding and floating up a bit off the ground. He glided forward, revealing himself. "Name's Starman..." The taller Navi followed Starman's lead, his eyes set into a piercing glare. "And I'm Airman. We're here by orders of Kali to delete you!" Numberman narrowed his eyes, getting into a fighting stance and forming two dice bombs. "Just try it!" Kingman's eyes narrowed into a glare much like Airman's, his Pawns drawing their swords back, ready for an attack.

Starman looked to Airman, sighing a bit. "You NEVER have any fun. Let's make this more interesting!" Numberman stood in his same position, his eyes locked on Starman. "What would you suggest...?" Starman grinned, shaking one finger in the air arrogantly. "A Tag-Team battle. Each team member is allowed to switch out with the other once. When one Navi is deleted, the other automatically loses and is also deleted. Sounds good to you?" Kingman nodded, looking to Numberman. "This will make the battle much more honorable, and I believe it will be much easier than taking on two at once." Numberman nodded, getting out of his stance. Airman growled, swiping at nothing angrily. "We don't have time for games, we have work to do!!!"

Starman narrowed his eyes to Airman, then floated up, whispering to him. "Chill out. If worse comes to worse for us and one of us is in danger of being deleted, then the other'll jump in and take out the chump we're battling at the time with one super powered combo attack! Once we take down one of these guys, the other'll be totally outmatched!" Airman blinked, then shut his eyes, nodding and whispering back. "I have to admit, it's a good strategy. Hit with what they don't expect..." Airman glared up again, crossing his arms. "Fine, I agree as well." Starman grinned, touching down and placing his hands on his hips. "Now we just need to set up who's going to start!!!" Tora's face appeared behind Kingman and Numberman on a comm. screen, looking smug, as usual. "Kingman and I'll go first. We'll end this battle before you even have time to tag out!" Starman chuckled, looking to Airman. "Smug for a human..." Airman walked forward. "Yeah, I don't like it at all. I'll be the one to shut him up."

Numberman stood still, keeping his dice bombs ready to use at any time. He suspected there may be foul play, so he made sure to be on guard at all times. Kingman and Airman stood before one another, staring each other down for a moment. Starman raised his hand into the air. "OKAY!!! On my mark!!!" Airman got into his usual battle stance, digging his feet into the panels below. Kingman stood solemn, as always, ready to fight Airman to deletion. Starman grinned a bit. "Ready... FIGHT!!!"

To Be Continued...

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Me: Well, hope this is gonna help people who wanna see Kingman and Numberman battle.

King: I still can't believe that is what I'd look like had Dr. Light gotten funding for his internet research.

Me: Well, hey, they are parallel universes, after all...

Megaman X: This does raise a big question, though...

Me: What's that?

Megaman: X is what I'd be in the future, or, at least modeled after me. So doesn't that mean in 21XX in the Battle Network Universe, there'd be a MegamanX.EXE?

Everyone: #Visualizes Megaman advancing into an Ultimate Armor-type of style that comes with an automatic Dark Aura#

Me: Sweeeeeet...

Megaman X: Strange...

Megaman: Ditto.

Me: Then that means there'd be an Alia, too... and Dynamo, and Sigma, and Signas, Lifesaver, Axl...

Megaman X: #Starts processing all those thoughts, then blushes a bit at the thought of Alia in one of those skin tight suits#

Me: #Blinks, then grins, chuckling a bit.# I think someone's got a cruuuush...

Megaman X: #Shifts to his Ultimate Armor and uses his Giga Attack on Death countless times#

Alia: #Grins, sitting at her computer.# Thank you, technology...

Megaman.EXE: That sums it up for this chapter. See you guys in the next!!!


	23. Tag Team Terror, Part 2

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 23 – Tag Team Terror, Part 2

Megaman: Hey? Where's Death gone off to? We can't start the next chapter without him...

Sonic: Got me. Last I saw he was back in the store room with his GBA SP.

Samus: Oh no...

Sonic and Megaman: #Blink and look to her# What?

Samus: #Sighs and sits down, rubbing her helmet# He's been playing my games nonstop lately, I haven't had any rest... And lately in chats with his friends, he's had this habit of mauling them with Metroids.

Sonic, Megaman and Samus: #Sweatdrop, then dash to the store room and slam the door open# HEY!!!

Me: #Blinks, shifting his attention from 3 Metroid feeding off what looks to be the corpse of a few SA-X# What?

Samus: What are you doing with those?!!

Me: Well, I've been lacking in inspiration, but these li'l fellas here seem to keep me up to date in ideas, so I figured I'd breed a few.

Samus: #Charges up her Ice Beam and readies the Ice Missiles# And just HOW MANY IS A FEW?!!

Me: #Points to a hollowed out wall with thousands of Metroid in it, as well as a few Omega Metroid#

Samus: #Twitches a bit and aims her charged blaster barrel towards the water heater#... just start the next chapter before I blow this place to smithereens...

Me: #Grumbles and walks out of the room with Samus, Sonic and Megaman following close behind# Spoiled sport...

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"Ready... FIGHT!!!" With this one call, an intense tag-team battle between 4 Net Navis began. The first to battle, Airman.EXE and Kingman.EXE. Airman immediately led off with his Triple Tornados, sending them straight over the Pawns Kingman had set in place. Kingman jumped back, slamming into the ground as the tornados touched down. Airman smirked, chuckling to himself. 'This is going to be a one-sided match. His maneuverability is extremely limited by his size, and the fact he lacks legs. Jumping and guarding won't win him this battle...' As Airman was thinking to himself, he had failed to notice he had just made the first mistake in the battle. He entirely forgot about the Knight that was set in place. His eyes shot wide as it slammed into him, knocking him onto his back. This sent Airman's tornados out of control, firing wildly at Kingman. Kingman managed to dodge two, but the third had no escape gap, giving a dead on hit into Kingman's chest. Kingman held through the blow, huffing a bit. "I hope you have more abilities in store for me than just this..."

Airman glared at Kingman, jumping out of the way of the Knight. He would make sure he did not make that same mistake again. "Hmph. Don't worry, you haven't seen half of what I can do now..." As the Knight jumped again, Airman turned, his eyes glowing pure white. He turned the fan in his chest to maximum power and fired at the Knight while it was at the peak of it's jump, blowing it high into the air. It fell to the ground and slammed head first onto the panels, as it was unable to stabilize itself in mid-air after such interference. The impact of the fall shattered it, taking out Kingman's prime form of attack. Higsby looked to Tora, gritting his teeth. "Quick!!! You have to put in another Knight chip!!!" Tora shook his head, looking right at his PET. "No." Higsby blinked, confused as to why Tora wouldn't download another Knight to Kingman. Tora sighed, clenching his free hand into a fist. "Airman would just keep blowing the Knights away. All it'd do is slow him down, no good in doing that... So we'll just have to attack him upright!!! Ready, Kingman?!!"

Just as Tora said this, he whipped out a few M-Cannon Chips. "M-Cannons Q, R, and S, Slot-in!!! Activating Zeta-Cannon 3 Program Advance NOW!!!" Kingman held out his right arm as a triple-barreled M-Cannon appeared upon it. His body vanished, leaving Airman in a state of shock. Airman growled, looking around frantically and pondering to himself. 'Blast it, where did that giant lump get to?!!' As if on cue, Airman was hit in the back by three blasts, sending him flying forward. He grit his teeth, getting up on one knee just to take another barrage. Kingman started to phase in and out, giving sign that the Program Advance's power was almost exhausted. He jumped up, appearing visible for a second above Airman. This was all Airman needed to get out of the way, but this was exactly what Tora and Kingman had expected. As Airman was in mid-air, Kingman used the last second of the Zeta-Cannon 3 Advance to blast him into his Pawns. Airman turned on his side in mid-air, just barely dodging the slashes from both of them. He slammed on his side, panting heavily. He'd taken a considerable amount of damage, but he wasn't out of the game yet. Starman grit his teeth, ready to jump in, but Airman, who knew Starman well since he was recreated at the same time as the shorter Navi, shot a glare, warning him not to interfere, and that he still had things under control.

Airman panted heavily as he rose to his feet, Kingman standing ready to finish him off. "Just admit defeat, Airman. This is a pointless battle. One more good blow shall finish this..." Airman chuckled, digging his feet into the ground. "You're right, one more blow WILL finish this!!!" Immediately, Airman's fan started up. A strong wind formed around Kingman, then quickly formed itself into a tornado. Airman was throwing everything he had into this shot. Kingman held his ground as long as he could, but was quickly flung into the air by the tornado. He slammed hard into the ground, in a near-deleted state from the combination of the tornado's damage, as well as the impact onto the ground itself. Kingman wasn't very well able to fight anymore, and neither was Airman. Airman turned, walking to Starman on the sidelines. "Do it." Starman grinned, cracking his knuckles. "I've been waiting for this!!!"

Kingman was lifted up to his base plate by his Pawns, then escorted off the battle floor. Numberman quickly took Kingman's place, totally concentrating on calculating Starman's battle stats. The shorter Navi wasted no time in beginning the battle, as he immediately charged Numberman. "You don't stand a chance!!!" Numberman sweatdropped, ducking out of the way of Starman as he charged by. Higsby shook his head, looking at Numberman. "Forget the calculations, time for some heavy battling!!!" Numberman nodded, forming two dice bombs and throwing them at Starman. "CATCH!!!" Starman blinked, turning and catching the bombs. He had no idea of how they worked, since he hadn't ever even seen Numberman battle before. The numbers that were sitting up as he caught them were 6 and 3. He sweatdropped as they started to blink, and then exploded right in his face. Airman just stood there, watching as Starman lay back in a daze. He sighed holding his head. 'Why did the Mistress team me with such an incompetant...?' He broke from his thoughts and glared at Starman as he stood. "What possessed you to just HOLD those things?!!" Starman growled, looking at Airman. "How was I supposed to know they would explode?!!" Airman clenched his fists, then stomped his foot. "WHY WOULD HE THROW SOMETHING THAT WASN'T DANGEROUS TO SOME DEGREE WHILE IN THE HEAT OF A BATTLE?!!" Starman sweatdropped, just scratching his head. "Eh... good point..." He blinked, seeing three Dice Bombs at his feet. 5, 5, and 5. He sweatdropped, jumping up and out of the way just as they exploded.

Numberman grinned, looking to Higsby. "Higsby, give me an Advance!!!" Higsby nodded, pulling out 4 battle chips while Numberman got ready to receive. "Firesword, Aquasword, Elecsword, and Bamboosword, Slot-in!!! Activating Elemental Sword Program Advance!!!" Numberman jumped up at Starman, who at the time was just watching him. Just as Numberman activated his advance, Starman grinned, getting into a pose that resembled a bow being drawn back with an arrow in it. "STAR ARROW!!!" Immediately, 8 arrows shot from around Starman's form, one heading straight for Numberman. It was too late to deactivate the advance, and Numberman had bad enough maneuverability on the land. In the air, he had no chance. He yelled out, taking an arrow to the head and, soon after, slamming into the ground, hard. He sat up after a few seconds, gritting his teeth. He sweatdropped, receiving blow after blow from Starman's Meteor attack. Starman grinned, rubbing just above his upper lip with his index finger. "Done like dinner." He blinked, taking a second look at the impact point of his Meteor attack. His jaw dropped at what he saw. A Life Aura. Behind the Aura, Numberman launched a Heatspread advance, impacting directly into Starman's chest. Starman yelled out, flying back into the air. He grit his teeth, catching himself.

"You...! YOU'RE DEAD!!! METEOR SHOWER!!!" This was very similar to his Meteor technique, but this time, there were twice as many meteors, and they were twice the size as the last set. Numberman scrambled to his feet, running as quickly as he could from the meteors. He was fortunate enough to dodge the majority, but three managed to clip him, the first taking out his Life Aura, and the next two dealing a heavy amount of damage. Numberman, though, remained standing, panting heavily. Higsby groaned, looking at his most powerful chip, the Paladin Sword. He sighed, then nodded, looking to Numberman. "Numberman, don't fail me... Paladin Sword, Slot-in!!!"

Numberman held his arm up, receiving the blade upon his right arm. He watched as Starman launched another Meteor Shower technique. This time, though, he decided to use it to his advantage. "Your chances of winning have just dropped straight to 0!!!" As Numberman said this, he charged forward under the meteors, just in time for them to crash. Starman panted heavily, touching down on the ground and clenching his fists. He looked to Kingman, smirking. "I still got some steam to blow... and we did have an agreement. He's deleted, and so are you..." Just as Starman rose his arms to form his Star Arrow, a blade cut through his left arm. He just stood there a moment, gritting his teeth. "Wh... what...?" Starman's left arm was immediately deleted. His attention immediately shifted to the dust cloud where a glowing blade was eminating. Another slash hit, sending Starman flying back with a huge gash across his chest. He grit his teeth, forcing himself up with his one arm. "Y... You survived my Meteor Shower...? HOW?!!" Numberman chuckled a bit, walking from the remainders of the cloud and up to Starman. "I just passed the range of the explosion, and once they finished, I ducked in and waited. Now, as much as I hate to do this, it's time for you to vanish."

Just as he raised his sword, Starman grit his teeth. "AIRMAN!!!" Airman yelled out, using what energy he'd regained to send his Triple Tornado attack at Numberman. Numberman's eyes went wide as he saw this. He was already exhausted, and Higsby already used up his Life Aura chip. It seemed to Numberman and Higsby that this was game over. But just as the tornados were about to impact, another larger Tornado tore through the battlefield and sucked up Airman's attack. Airman grit his teeth, then looked across the paths. Roll was standing on the edge, her antennae resting back into their regular position. "That is REALLY low, Airman!!!" Airman grit his teeth, then glared at Numberman and Kingman. "This isn't fair, you had reinforcements!!!" Just after he finished that statement, Airman was sliced clean in half, and totally deleted. Protoman just stood there, watching as the last of his data disappeared into the air. Numberman nodded a "Thank you" to Protoman, and finished the job by deleting Starman.

Kali narrowed her eyes as she watched Airman and Starman being deleted. She stood up, a dark aura forming about her. "They're much more powerful than I ancitipated... This calls for drastic measures." A dark figure appeared behind Kali, his arms hanging at his side. A violet energy blade hung from his right arm, white hair flowing in widely spread locks down at the base of a long ponytail. He raised his head, the only image upon his face revealed in the darkness being a blood red visor, reflecting off what little light in the shadows there was. Kali turned, walking forward to him. She pressed her hand against his emblem on a red and black vest, sending a pulse of dark energy into him as a power boost. "You are the final line of defense before they reach me. You are the second most powerful Net Navi in existence right now, and if you fail me with this power, I will not merely let you be deleted. I will send every last fragment into a Digital Hell from which there is no escape. Are we clear...?" The figure nodded, speaking with a familiar, but darker, more sinister voice. "Yes, m'lady... The intruders will be dealt with, and I shall not fail you..." Kali grinned, opening a dark portal into Undernet 5. "Now go... But bring Roll to me. I want the pleasure of destroying my own counter part..." The figure nodded, turning and walking into the portal. As he stepped totally in, it vanished. Kali then began to giggle, and quickly broke out into a soul piercing laugh.

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Me: Well, glad to be back in the saddle again.

Zero ( MMZ ): Why don't you update more often, anyways?

Me: 3 good reasons.

Ciel: And those would be?

Me: Number one, I have other things to do. My life doesn't revolve around the Internet, ya know.

Lan: Yes it does...

Me: #Smacks him with a frying pan and sighs# AS I WAS SAYING!!! Number two, lately I've been lacking in inspiration. That's why this chapter may seem a little more, well, lame than the others.

Megaman: You sure don't have trouble making your comics on The Fallout Shelter...

Me: Comicking random events and writing up a story that follows a plotline are two TOTALLY different things, Mega. I'm a very scatterbrained person. Finally, number three...

Mayl and Roll.EXE: You're just plain lazy.

Me: ... You know, if you were wrong about that I'd kill you right now.

Roll.EXE: Not on your life. Mayl and I are two of the most important characters in the story right now.

Me: ... I'll get you for this later.

Mayl: #Sticks out her tongue to taunt Death#

Roll.EXE: #Sighs, then shrugs# Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's it for this chapter. See you in the next one!!!


	24. The Darkest of Souls, Part 1

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 24 – The Darkest of Souls, Part 1

Me: GAAAHHH!!! I'M SUCH A SCATTER-BRAINED BAKAAAAAA!!!

Mayl: You mean the fact that you posted Chapter 23 while it was incomplete...?

Roll.EXE: Oh, give him a bit of a break, Mayl. Anyone could make that mistake!

Me: #Sulks in a corner, groaning# But I was the one who did this time. #Sigh# At least it explains why I've only gotten one or two reviews on it...

Lan: Hey, you posted the finished version, so there's nothing to worry about, right?

Me: ... yeah, I guess...

Megaman.EXE: Then quit complaining and write this chapter!!! Your readers are waiting!!!

Me: Y'know... Yer right!!! I got readers waiting for this chapter, and I ain' gonna let 'em down!!! ONWARD!!! #Charges to the keyboard#

Lan: Ya had to get him started...

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The dark figure whom Kali had created mere moments ago stood silently at the junction between Undernets 5 and 6. The final rite of passage to Kali was the ability to pass by him, the most powerful of her guardians yet. The figure chuckled evilly, his teeth representing fangs of a sort. A powerful black aura eminated from his being. That alone proved itself powerful, as it was annihilating any viruses that dared to even attempt an assault upon him. He grimaced, looking at the violet sword upon his right arm. "Soon enough, the true challenger will arrive..." He chuckled, then slashed at the air. Just from this one swipe alone, all the ground within 20 feet that lay before his swipe as upturned, and even annihilated in some points. His chuckle quickly broke into a demonic laughter that echoed through out the Undernet.

Protoman came to a halt suddenly, stopping the rest of the group behind him. Roll walked forward, a look of concern upon her face as she looked to Protoman. "Protoman... what's wrong...?" Protoman just stood there, his eyes narrowed beneath his black visor. He felt something disturbing in the air. He sighed, shaking his head as he continued to move forward. "It's nothing, just a chill..."

Moments later, the group came upon the junction between Undernets 5 and 6. They moved carefully around some upturned platforms, being careful not to slip and fall for fear of falling into already existing holes, or breaking through the already weakened path. Protoman came to a stop at the junction with Roll at his side, looking back over the ruined path as he thought to himself. 'A powerful Navi did this... There's still a lot of dark energy rising from this wreckage...' Roll glared forward into Undernet 6, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. "... Kali's in here..." Protoman shifted his attention to Roll, looking right into her eyes. He could see anger, fear, and anticipation welling up within. He nodded, facing the next area with her. "Then let's..." Before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off by loud cries of pain, mixed with the sound of a blade cutting through the air and various different materials. Protoman and Roll turned quickly, only to see the rest of their allies laying on the ground, on the brink of deletion.

Roll shook her head, her hands covering her mouth. "H... how...?! Guys, hold on!!!" Roll did everything she could to shake off her fear as she rushed blindly towards her fallen comrades. Protoman's eyes shot wide, catching a faint glint in the air. "ROLL, NO!!!" Protoman reached out and grabbed Roll by the arm and pulled her back with great haste, mistakenly tipping her balance and knocking her down into a sitting position. Not even a single second after Roll was pulled back, a violet blade of energy came down, slicing a huge gash into the path. Roll sat there, quaking in fear. "Th... thank you, Protoman..." Protoman nodded quickly, walking forward as he formed his Hero Sword. "WHO ARE YOU?!! REVEAL YOURSELF NOW!!!"

The dark figure chuckled evilly, his violet blade pulsing from the corner he was standing in. "You should know exactly who I am, Protoman..." As he said this, the figure stepped forward from the shadows, revealing his full form. "After all, I AM you..." Protoman's eyes shot wide as he stood there, stunned by this new discovery. Before him stood another version of himself, but much more sinister in appearance and in attitude. Protoman growled, holding his sword forward towards the other. "Impossible!!! I am the only Protoman, and that's that!!!" The other Protoman came to a stop a mere 10 feet before his counterpart, chuckling softly. "Yes, you are the only Protoman. But I am you, and I am not you. I am your Dark Soul!" Chaud narrowed his eyes, swinging one hand in the air angrily as he gazed upon the darker version of his Net Navi. "Impossible!!! Protoman and I have only ever focused upon destroying your kind, not on ways to become more like you!!!"

The Dark Protoman nodded, crossing his arms, being cautious of his own blade. "Yes, I am very well aware. But there are other kinds of darkness in the soul other than pure evil. Protoman knows exactly what I'm talking about. Oh yes, the guilt that comes with accidentally slaughtering an innocent in the midst of a melee against hundreds of viruses, the anger directed towards those who would threaten his Net Op, and let's not forget all the jealousy and envy caused by every time that pathetic Megaman defeated him! Yes, they are only little baubles, no more than insignificant thoughts that were washed away by the pride of being one of the most powerful Net Navis in all of the world, but they still exist within you. And from those, Lady Kali allowed my creation... Being close to you for that brief instant before Quickman began his assault was enough for her to read into your soul and create a spare copy of your data."

Roll's eyes shot wide as she heard all of this. The fact that Kali was able to create Protoman's Dark Soul just by being near him frightened her to no end. She looked to Protoman, a remorseful expression upon her face. "Protoman, I'm so sorry... If I'd have known she could do that, I'd have never introduced her..." Protoman shook his head, clenching his left fist as he concentrated power into his body. "Relax, Roll. You didn't know..." The Dark Protoman laughed, then grinned evilly to Roll. "She apparently didn't know a lot of things. Thanks to her bumbling and naiveté, Lady Kali will dominate all of Net Society soon and bring a new age of darkness to this world!!!" Roll stood up, her eyes narrowed into a glare. Protoman looked to Roll out the corner of his eyes, speaking very coldly now. "Stay out of this. This is my fight..." Roll grit her teeth, then lowered her head, nodding.

The Dark Protoman held his sword up, immediately reaching his full capacity in power. "I'm not going to play with you. I'll delete every last one of you and bring the girl with me. Lady Kali wishes to take care of her herself..." Protoman grinned, reaching his own maximum as well. "Don't hold your breath. The only one who's going to be deleted is you..." Dark Protoman shook his head, putting on a more serious face. "Well then, I guess the only way we can find out is by facing off... Winner take all!" Protoman held his sword up, nodding. "Then let's go!!!" Immediately, the two warriors took off. Not even a split second passed before their blades made contact with one another. They were in a deadlock. Roll just sat on the sidelines, watching as the blades began to flash light. She put her right hand over her emblem, a look of concern in her eyes as she pondered to herself. 'No... Protoman can't do this. That copy may be at full power, but he's not fighting like Protoman...'

Dark Protoman chuckled, digging his feet into the ground. "I'm impressed... For a first show of power, you're holding your own very well with that little Hero Sword of yours...!" Protoman pushed forward, digging his feet into the platform as well. "I've only just started...!!!" Dark Protoman smirked, nodding. "Good, because just sticking with a regular Sword gets really old, really fast..." Dark Protoman jumped back, discarding his sword. He held his hand out as a green blade formed, attaching itself to his arm. "This is the Z-Saber!!! And no, it's not quite the same as that nasty little Zero Virus'. Our organization discovered this chip itself. Strangely enough, it's readings show it came from an alternate reality that's already 200 years in the future... I hope you're ready, because this will be your final battle!!!" Protoman slashed his blade at the air, then charged forward. "Even if you are telling the truth about this so-called "Alternate Reality", I WON'T LET A COPY BEAT ME!!!" Dark Protoman grinned, vanishing as Protoman slashed at him. Protoman stood still, his eyes wide. Dark Protoman stood behind him, holding his Z-Saber out. Blood was dripping off the blade. Protoman dropped to one knee, holding his side. Dark Protoman grinned, holding his blade before his face as he licked the blood off of it. "This battle is already lost..."

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Chaud: #Pounds on Death with a baseball bat# WHAT'S THE IDEA GIVING HIM THAT FAKE CHIP?!!

Megaman Zero: #Sweatdrops, holding a finger up# Eh, actually, it's real...

Whole EXE Cast: WHAT?!!

Me: #Groans, rubbing the lumps on his head# Yeah, jeez... You trade a Battle Chip into Megaman Zero 3 for the Z-Saber chip, and in return, in MMZ3 when you go into the Cyber World, you'll see enemies like Swordies and those things that launch the bombs that spread out 3 panels long...

Lan: Why didn't I ever know about this?!

Me: Uh, duh, alternate reality in which Dr. Wily gets funding for his Robotics Research instead of your Grandpa, Dr. Light, getting funding for his Internet research...

Airman.EXE and Air Man ( Robot Master ): #Nod together# That's how it works.

Megaman.EXE: Explains those two blocky guys that look like me...

Megaman and Megaman X: STUFF IT, SPANDEX BOY!!!

Me, Roll Light, Roll.EXE and Kali: #Sit on the sidelines and watch the brawl begin between Robot Masters and Net Navis#

Me: #Sighs# Well folks, I'm gonna be busy right into the beginning of next chapter cleaning this up, so, I'll catch you guys later!


	25. The Darkest of Souls, Part 2

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 24 – The Darkest of Souls, Part 1

Me: #Sighs, 5 minutes after the brawl sweeping up remains of some Robot Masters while Numberman.EXE collects some Navi Data floating around in the air#

Roll.EXE: #Sighs, dumping some parts in the Recycle Bin# Man, these guys made such a mess of the place.

Me: Tell me about it. I HATE cleaning, and look what I gotta do now!!! #Grumbles and kicks Megaman X's head#

Megaman X's Head: HEY!!! THAT HURTS YA JERK!!!

Me: GAAAHH!! ZOMBIE REPLOID!!! #Lets off a barrage of Fox Fire and decimates the head, strangely enough leaving the memory and personality chips intact.#

Alia: DEATH!!! JUST BECAUSE YOU SEVER A REPLOID'S SPINE DOESN'T MEAN IT DIES!!! THE FUNCTIONS ARE IN THE SKULL!!!

Me: ... Um... #Whistles innocently and walks off from the dust pile while Roll Light sweeps up the ashes#

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Roll grit her teeth, standing up quickly. "PROTOMAN!!!" She started forward, but Protoman immediately held up a hand, glaring to her. "DON'T!!! Save your energy for Kali!!! I can handle this!!!" Chaud looked to the other Net Ops, nodding to them. "Everyone but Mayl, jack out now. Your Navis conditions are too critical to continue onward..." Everyone sighed, reluctantly bringing their Navis out. Tori looked to Chaud, a serious expression upon his face. "We're going to stay here though and root you guys on..." Mayl and Chaud smiled a bit, nodding. Both quickly turned their attentions back to the battle at hand. Just as Protoman stood up, the Dark Protoman charged. Chaud threw in the chips for the Barrier 500 Advance, only barely making it in time for Protoman to block. Dark Protoman chuckled, shaking his head. "Too bad it's not Life Aura. Maybe you'd actually stand a chance then!!!" Wasting absolutely no time, Dark Protoman vanished, hacking and slashing wildly at the barrier. This pressure was far too much, and the barrier almost instantly crumbled, leaving Protoman vulnerable to hundreds of attacks, one after the other. Protoman howled out in pain, taking one slash after the other in continuation. Dark Protoman showed no signs of letting up at all.

Roll grit her teeth, shaking her head. "I can't let this continue...!" Roll shut her eyes, forming a small ball of white energy. It was some of her power that she would invest into Protoman. As much as she wanted to stop Kali, and as much as she wanted to get the very core of her power back so she would have the chance to restore Megaman, she didn't want anyone to be deleted for it unless it was herself. She threw the ball forward, aiming right at Protoman. "HERE!!!"

The ball shot straight into Protoman, enveloping him in a white aura. Protoman's eyes shot wide beneath his cracked visor as he floated up. His wounds were healed, and he felt a new power growing within his right arm. He held his hand out, then smirked, watching his blade grow longer. Dark Protoman growled as he stood there, shielding his eyes. He could stand light, but this was too much. He couldn't even find it in himself to move at the time. As the light began to fade, though, Dark Protoman slowly regained his mobility. He stood there, looking at his counterpart, somewhat in awe, and somewhat in disgust. Protoman's outfit now had a pair of white energy angel wings behind it. The sword on his arm had grown longer and wider, but it was lighter than ever. "The Evil Cutter Program Advance..." Roll smiled, sighing and letting her energy recover now. She would need all she could muster against Kali later on. "The Program Advance won't just last for a few seconds this time... This Program Advance will last so long as you are here, Dark Protoman. As the Evil Cutter, it feeds off your dark energy and powers itself up, just to grow and annihilate the darkness. Ironic, isn't it?"

Dark Protoman spat to the side, then growled, pointing his sword at Roll. "Cram it!!!" Immediately, a black beam of energy shot from the blade. This was a little special that Kali put into the Z-Saber when she entrusted it to Dark Protoman. Roll's eyes shot wide as it came for her, but just as it came within inches of her head, Protoman deflected it with his blade. He looked up, his eyes narrowed into a glare even more piercing than when Kali had betrayed Roll. "You're everything that I hate that dwells inside me... And I won't let you lay a finger upon anyone else but me. This is our fight!" Protoman slashed at the air, sending a current and slammed into Dark Protoman, sending him flying back. Dark Protoman landed on one knee, growling as his Blood Red visor shattered. Beneath were eyes of the exact same color, nearly lacking in pupils. He growled, his fangs becoming much more defined as he charged. "DIE!!!"

Kali growled as she sat infront of the monitors that were displaying the battle between Protoman and his Dark Soul. Her face was twisted with rage at this point. "How dare that brat assist Protoman...! And with her own powers, just as I did to Dark Protoman!!!" She stood up, turning and slamming her fist into the chair she was in. It was decimated as if it were never even there to begin with. She growled, looking back to the monitor. "I may have no choice but to take them both on myself..." She stood still for a moment, then giggled, shaking her head. "Why am I so concerned...? I am currently the most powerful Navi on the Net, not even Laserman could possibly stop me now!!!" Kali grinned, looking to the monitor that was focused upon Roll. "So go ahead, destroy that worthless piece of data if you can, I'll be here to finish the job!!! And then, all of Net Society will bow to me!!!"

Back at the junction between Undernets 5 and 6, Protoman and Dark Protoman were matching one another blow for blow. Their powers were finally truly equal, bringing them to what seemed to be a stalemate. Both panted heavily as they stood before one another, exhausted from continually slashing and parrying each others' blows. Protoman kept his eyes locked upon Dark Protoman, remaining in a fighting stance as he began to ponder. 'There must be some way to tilt the odds in my favor... He must have some weakness...' Protoman stood still a moment, then blinked, his eyes narrowing. He stood up, chuckling a bit. Dark Protoman growled, slashing at the air. "HEY!!! What's so funny over there?!!" Protoman continued to chuckle, looking right at his evil counterpart. "Heheheheh... you've lost this battle..." Dark Protoman spat to the side, smirking. "Really, now...? I'd say we're pretty much dead locked, so I fail to see how it is that I've lost." Protoman shut his eyes, holding his sword up in the air. "As I thought... I'm going to delete you now, and prove just how weak you are, Copy..." Dark Protoman growled as he heard this. He absolutely hated being showed up. He concentrated all his energy into his Z-Saber and charged forward. "YOU WANT TO SEE WEAK?!! I'LL SHOW YOU WEAK WHEN I CUT YOU IN HALF!!!"

Just as Dark Protoman charged, Protoman smirked. "Bingo." Immediately, he concentrated all the light energy that Roll had given him and fired it into the air from the tip of his blade, once again a Hero Sword. It exploded, sending a blinding flash of light throughout the Undernet area. Dark Protoman grit his teeth, forcing himself to continue on. Protoman yelled out, charging at Dark Protoman, able to track him because of the black aura that surrounded his sword. "THIS IS THE END!!!"

Roll grit her teeth, keeping her eyes shielded from the light with her arms. It didn't have any real effects on her, but it was just too bright for her to see through. Her eyes shot wide behind as she heard the sound of swords piercing flesh. Just a moment after, the light faded, revealing Protoman and Dark Protoman to be just standing still, their swords held out. Each blade was drenched in the blood of the other. Dark Protoman stood up straight from his stance, turning to Protoman. "... looks like I lose this round..." Almost immediately after he said this, blood poured out of a huge gash on his side. The delayed bleeding was caused by how clean, sharp, and quick the slash was. Dark Protoman slumped to the ground and vanished into a cloud of data, quickly dispersing into the Undernet sky.

Protoman panted heavily, dropping to the ground and clutching his own side. There was a large wound in his side as well, and he needed treatment immediately. Roll rushed forward with tears in her eyes as she dropped to her knees by Protoman. "Protoman!!! Are you okay?!!" Protoman gave a weak nod, gritting his teeth. Roll smiled weakly, then held her hands above the wound. Protoman knew she was planning to heal it, so he quickly pushed her hands down. "Forget it... I'll just jack out from here..." Roll blinked, then shook her head. "But..." Protoman sighed, looking over his shoulder to the junction. "Kali's right in there... I'm sure she's waiting for you. If you don't have everything you can muster, you'll be destroyed, Roll..." Roll lowered her head, shaking it a bit. "But, I'll be all alone..."

Protoman shook his head, keeping his gaze on the path. "We're all pulling for you, Roll... Just do everything you can, and don't let her win. You're really the only one who'd stand a chance, anyways..." Protoman pressed his emblem and pulled out a small ball of white and red energy. He then pressed it into Roll's emblem, watching it sink into her chest. "That's what's left of the power you sent to me, as well as some of my own... You should be able to keep up with her much easier with that." Roll smiled gently and nodded, standing up. "... Right. I'll do my best for everyone..." Protoman nodded and shut his eyes, logging out from there. Roll sighed, turning and looking to the path. "... For everyone... and especially for Megaman..." With that, Roll charged head first into the Undernet, heading for the final battle with her dark counterpart.

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Me: Well, if this doesn't scream "This is almost the end of the story", nothing does.

Mayl: Yeah, tell me about it... I can't believe it's almost been a year since you started this.

Me: Heh, yeah, tell me about it... But, I'm really proud of this thing. It's the first story I've ever written like this.

Axl: Considering how many reviews you get, it seems to be a pretty big hit.

Me: I'd like to think that, but there're a lot of better authors out there. Face it, I may be pretty good, but in the field, I'm still a novice.

Megaman X: You said it, not me...

Me: #Smashes X with the Piko Piko Hammer# Care to repeat that?

Megaman X: N... no...

Me: #Grins# Thought so... Anyhow, now I need to start planning on my new fanfic. I've already got the rest of this layed out, so all I gotta do is type it up.

Shadow the Hedgehog: Any subjects?

Me: Yup. Sonic the Hedgehog, Digimon, Pokemon, Final Fantasy, Disgaea, possibly Halo...

Amy Rose: We get the idea, Death.

Me: Just makin' sure. Anyhow, I'll probably be taking a break after this story's done, so you guys won't be seeing much of me on for a lil' bit. But don't worry ladies and gents, I WILL RETURN!!! So, see y'all next chapter!!!

Inu Yasha: #Sighs and murmurs a bit just before the cameras cut out# You're trying to think of how to make that one crossover story with all the characters from...

Me: #SMACK# BAD INNY!!! That's classified information!!!


	26. A Heart's Conflictions, Part 1

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 26 – A Heart's Conflictions, Part 1

Mayl: Interesting chapter title.

Me: Yeah, I know. But I have reason for it.

Megaman: And that reason is?

Me: Just read it yourself and find out.

Bass.EXE: #Holds his twin busters to Death's head# Just tell us...

Me: Nope.

Bass.EXE: #Shrugs and fires rapidly at Death's head#

Me: #Vanishes and appears behind Bass.EXE, jabbing him in the neck.# Tag, you're dead.

Bass.EXE: What the... #Eyes go wide and falls over, bleeding from the back of his neck.#

Me: #Stuffs the dagger in his pocket.# If we have no other objections, then can we get on with this?!

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Roll charged through Undernet 6 at top speed, focusing upon the energy her counterpart was emitting. This was how she and the others had gotten so far to begin with. She wasn't sure how she could do it, but she had the idea that it had to do with the fact she and Kali, despite the fact they were two different Navis, shared the same base soul. In a sense, one could call it a sort of spiritual link. Roll narrowed her eyes at the sight of a horde of highly powered viruses, no doubt put there to slow her down. "I don't have time to play with you!!!" Immediately, she formed her Roll Sword, vanishing and hacking straight through the virus wall. As soon as they burst into showers of data, she continued on, cutting through any virus that got in her path.

Within the hour, Roll reached the end of Undernet 6, panting a bit. She pulled her hood down to get some air, then knelt down, absorbing her sword. The only sign of injury upon her body was a burn mark on her right arm after just barely dodging the close range blast of a Spikey Omega. After one or two moments of breathing, she stood up, walking straight to a black vortex of energy. She stood before it, her eyes narrowed seriously. Mayl sighed, shutting her eyes. "Roll... are you absolutely positive about this? The readings from that portal are showing it's a one way ticket. The only way you'll be able to get out of there is by defeating Kali... Maybe we should wait on the others to recover, then..." Roll shook her head, glaring into the portal. "No, Mayl... If we wait, we're endangering the Net... This is my power she's using, and it's my weakness that let her get her hands on it... I have to stop her now. Besides, this is a personal agenda..." Mayl sighed, looking down for a moment. She then smiled gently, looking into her PET. "... we're all behind you, Roll. Do your best..."

Roll smiled gently, nodding. She quickly regained her serious face, though, and charged into the portal. A flash shot from it, signifying Roll had made it through. Roll gave a gentle sigh, looking around what seemed to be a very complex database. As she moved forward, she heard something loud moving through the air. She jumped back, dodging a powerful blast that cratered the ground she was standing on just a second ago. She landed softly and formed her Roll Sword, getting into a fighting stance. "KALI!!! I KNOW THAT'S YOU, COME OUT!!!" The figure in the darkness who had fired the shot moved forward slowly, it's silhouette coming into view. As soon as it reached one of the few spots of light in the room, Roll gasped, her eyes wide. She stepped back, gritting her teeth. "I... it can't be..." The figure raised it's head, wearing a black and white body suit and helmet. An emblem similar to Lan's was worn upon his chest, but the orange was replaced by blood red. The figure chuckled, demonic eyes similar to Kali's practically piercing into Roll's very soul. Tears formed in Roll's eyes as her sword vanished. "... M... Mega...?"

"Close, dear Roll, close..." Roll snapped her attention above, finding Kali standing on a balcony. Roll growled, forming her Roll Cannon. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?!!" Kali giggled, then leaned upon the railing of the balcony. "I've done nothing... This is the Megaman inside of Megaman, just as I am the Roll within you..." Roll's eyes shot wide as she heard this, shifting her gaze to the figure similar to Megaman. "So that's..." Kali giggled, nodding gently. "Yes, my dear little Roll. That is your beloved Megaman's Dark Soul..." She vanished, appearing behind him with her arms wrapped about his neck. "I can see just why you liked your version of this Navi... His Dark Soul is very powerful. Why, if it weren't for your energy, I'd have obliterated myself merely trying to create him...!" She smiled, giving the Shadow Megaman a gentle kiss on the cheek. This caused him to glow brightly, his silhouette shifting in shape slightly within the light. As the light receded, he stood there, slightly different than before. His helmet had grown 2 identical fins, as had the backs of front of his boots near the top. The pack upon his back had also grown in size, the cylinders much taller than before. On his left arm, a large shield was attached, and upon his right, a gauntlet that seemed to make his fist 5 times larger than before.

Kali grinned, stepping back. "I'm sure you're familiar with your dear Megaman's Style Changes. This is a special style I've thrown together from the four basic styles. First, the Guts style, to overwhelm any foe with raw, ferocious power. The second, Shield, for an impenetrable defense. The third is Team, allowing him to summon any Navi he's previously met. Finally, the Custom Style, which permits him to access the power of any and all Program Advances known! My dear Roll, I give you your executioner, Omni-Style Shadow Megaman!!!"

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Mayl: You LIKE putting Roll in these impossible to win situations, don't you?!!

Me: If they're so impossible to win, why does she always come out on top in the end?

Lan: He's got a point there, Mayl.

Mayl: I still don't appreciate you putting my Navi in such danger...

Me: Tch, relax, babe. The world isn't gonna end. Everything'll come out fine in the end, you'll see!

Roll.EXE: It always does...

Megaman.EXE: Well, NOW you get to figure out another plot hole.

Me: You mean that now Lan's gonna know about Megaman's Dark Soul before he even learns about the Dark Chip? Yeah, I know. I'll figure somethin' out, I'm good at BS-ing through situations like this.

Megaman: Better'd hope so.

Me: Ah, relax. Anywho, readers, that's it for this chapter!!! Catch ya in the next!!!


	27. A Heart's Conflictions, Part 2

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 27 – A Heart's Conflictions, Part 2

Mayl: I just thought of something.

Me: And that is?

Mayl: You said you were using mostly game elements, but you changed the Custom and Team styles a bit...

Me: I know. I used elements from volume 3 of the Manga.

Megaman.EXE: Too bad I can't pull that Omni-Megaman thing...

Me: It has some serious defects, Blue.

Megaman.EXE: You serious?

Me: Yup. It's got one seriously vital weakness. But you'll just have to read to find it out.

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Kali smiled as she watched Roll shake ever so slightly in fear. She grinned, shutting her eyes. "Oh... and, I'd suggest you be very careful, dear Roll... A Dark Soul is a very important part of it's other. The only safe way to destroy it is for it's counterpart to destroy it. If anyone else destroys it, it can corrupt the good soul. It may be destroyed, or crippled, or it may even forget everything it ever knew..." Roll's eyes shot wide as she heard this. It was like an arrow had just pierced her heart. Megaman forgetting her...? She couldn't bear that thought. She shook it off, gritting her teeth. "Y... you're lying, Kali!!! You're just playing mind games with me!!!" Kali shrugged, turning around, her hair flowing smoothly. "Hm, believe what you like. Just remember, you're risking his very soul... If you do manage to defeat him, though, please, take time to recover. I want to show you every bit of power you once had, and it just wouldn't be any fun if you deleted too early..." With that, Kali vanished, leaving Roll and Shadow Megaman alone.

Roll grit her teeth, then slowly stepped forward. "M... Megaman...? I know that... that there's still got to be a good part of you in there, even if you are a Dark Soul... Please, Megaman..." Roll came to a stop a mere 2 feet before Shadow Megaman. He looked sternly to her, then lowered his head. "... Roll..." He lifted his head, giving a gentle smile. Roll smiled, rushing forward and embracing him. "I just knew it...!" Unfortunately, Roll's emotions had gotten the better of her logic this time. Shadow Megaman's gentle smile quickly shifted to an evil grin. "Die..." Roll's eyes shot wide as she heard this. Before she could react, she was already flying back in the air, coughing up blood. Shadow Megaman stood strong, holding his Guts Fist straight into the air. He watched Roll skid on the ground, and eventually roll into a halt against a nearby wall.

She forced herself up, coughing and wiping the blood on her glove. "... I guess that was really dumb of me..." She forced herself up, catching her second wind relatively quickly. She shut her eyes, forcing back tears as she formed two Roll Swords. "... I'm sorry, Mega... but I've got to take him down!!!" Roll yelled screamed out, charging forward. She jumped into the air and started hacking and slashing wildly, but in a perfect rhythm, at Shadow Megaman. This did nothing, though, except give her the appearance she was performing for an audience. Shadow Megaman was extremely fast. He grinned, ducking, a Spin Slash. "Life Sword!" As he called out the Program Advance's name, a sword of white energy appeared in his grip. He jumped up and slashed Roll across the chest, sending her stumbling back. She grit her teeth, then continued on with her assault.

Mayl bit her bottom lip, her eyes wide. She was just glad that Lan had gone with the others to see over repairs to the other Navis. If he'd seen this, it probably would've torn his heart to pieces. She reached into her hip pouch and pulled out a Recovery 300. "Here Roll!!!" She slid the chip into the PET, restoring most of what Roll had lost from the Life Sword assault. 'Just hold on, Roll. I'll think of something!!!'

Roll was now on the defensive against a team of three Navis. The Navis were Quickman, Protoman, and Beastman, all in their V5 forms. Roll was only barely able to parry and dodge each one of their separate attacks. After 15 long seconds of combating them, though, they vanished. Roll dropped to one knee, panting heavily. Shadow Megaman chuckled, shaking his head. "You're pathetic, girl... If you can't stand up to me, Lady Kali will tear you to shreds... Allow me to end this fight once and for all! MASTER STYLE!!!" Shadow Megaman grinned, his body splitting into the four different base styles embedded in his coding. They vanished, appearing at all sides of Roll. Roll's eyes shot wide as they began a massive assault. Even though each one only hit her twice, totaling in at 8 hits, each attack was more devastating than the next. Roll flew back after taking one final punch from the Heat Guts style, slamming hard on the floor. She forced herself up, shaking uncontrollably as she coughed up a stream of blood. She held her chest, her eyes going wide as she saw Shadow Megaman once more. He was in his base style now, and charging up for the final move. "Well, Roll, I must say I'm impressed you survived the last 8 parts of the style... BUT YOU WON'T SURVIVE THE FINAL ASSAULT!!!" Immediately, he let out the charge, sending a dome of energy throughout the room. Roll screamed out at the top of her lungs, quickly engulfed in the wave. Mayl's eyes shot wide as her PET screen went blank. "ROOOLLL!!!"

Just mere moments later, the final bits of debris hit the ground. Shadow Megaman sighed, now in his Regular Style. He turned, grinning and thinking to himself. 'Tch. I'm lucky that blast took her out... Kali didn't tell me the Omni-Style was deleted when I used the Master Style Program Advance...' He sighed in relief, then started to walk towards the exit of the room, back to Kali. Just then, there was a shifting in the rubble. He came to a halt, spinning around, arming his buster. He stood still for a moment, glaring straight at the rubble that the movement came from. He sighed, relaxing and shaking his head. "I'm too para---"Before he could finish, a blast shot through his gut and out his back. He grit his teeth, dropping to one knee as blood ran out his mouth in small streams. "Ggghhh... H... How the..."

Roll grit her teeth, pushing herself from under what felt like tons of digital rubble. She held her Roll Buster ready, panting heavily. "You... shouldn't have done that... that advance..." She coughed a bit, dragging herself from the rest of the rubble. She stood weakly, her body bloody and battered. Her suit was hanging off her at many places, but remained covering the private areas. She raised her buster, shaking off a bit of blurry vision. "I... I won't die... Not until Kali's defeated... Not until Megaman's back to watch over everyone... and... to make everyone happy again..."

Shadow Megaman growled, standing up. Using the Master Style did weaken him, and the hole in his gut didn't help the matter much at all. But even with all this, he still contained enough power to defeat Roll. "Feh... You can't beat me... Not in your sta..." His eyes went wide, catching wind of a powerful aura. Roll clenched her fists, her Buster vanishing. "I... I won't let scum like you take over the Net... I won't let an imposter like you soil Megaman's name... AND I WILL END THIS RIGHT NOW!!!" Roll floated off the ground as she began to glow, invoking a brand new power within. The pink vest-like of her suit area extended outward at the shoulders into pointed shoulder plates. Her helmet grew a face mask of it's own, much like Megaman's, while her gloves sprouted spikes at the knuckles. She touched down on the ground, glaring at Shadow Megaman as she formed a pink energy sword. "Paladin Style!!!"

Shadow Megaman's eyes shot wide as he saw this. He'd never seen so much power eminating from one being before. He grit his teeth, quaking with fear. "Y... You don't scare me, girl!!! Big deal, you got a new suit and sword, that proves nothing!!!" Roll stood silently, her eyes locked upon Shadow Megaman. She smirked beneath her mask, shutting her eyes. "... good bye." Shadow Megaman grit his teeth, then formed his buster, firing at her wildly. Roll by this time, though, was already at his side. "Those things are dangerous, you know..."

Before Shadow Megaman could even turn his head, Roll's sword sliced through his arm, lopping it clean off. Shadow Megaman yelled out, his entire arm starting to phase in and out. Without any hesitation, Roll dealt the final blow. Within mere seconds, she'd hacked into Shadow Megaman at least 20 different times. She stood behind Shadow Megaman, sighing softly. Just as she did this, he burst into a stream of data. Roll lowered her head, clenching her fists as her sword vanished. "... I won't let this go on any longer..." Just as she spoke these words, a screen appeared behind her. She spun around quickly, only to see her Net Op. Mayl sighed in relief, brushing away a few small tears of concern. "Roll, I'm so glad you're alright... What happened to Shadow Megaman...? And... your suit..."

Roll smiled, her face mask vanishing. "Don't worry. I dealt with him. He won't be a problem anymore..." Mayl nodded, then narrowed her eyes. "This isn't good..." Roll blinked, a look of concern quickly occupying her face. "What is it, Mayl?" Mayl looked grimly to Roll, speaking softly. "After you pass through that door, Roll, there won't be any way for me to contact you. We'll be cut off from each other... Apparently, Kali wants this to be a One-on-One fight, no Net Ops." Roll nodded, looking to the door. "... Just wish me luck, Mayl. I'll come back, I promise you!!!" With that said, Roll charged off through the door, cutting off Mayl's PET once more. Mayl sighed, setting the PET down and lowering her head. "... Roll... don't die... just win and come back home..."

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Me: #Sigh#

Ky Kiske: What's troubling you?

Me: Meh, that chapter didn't come out half as well as I'd hoped it would.

Axl Low: Relax, it came out fine. I'm sure your readers enjoyed it.

Me: Maybe. But I just had really high expectations for this chapter and...

Kali.EXE: You're a second-rate writer?

Me: You know, after this story you're fair game, Kali...

Kali.EXE: Uh, HELLO!!! Have you NOT been paying attention to the power you gave me?!!

Me: #Uses his Author Powers and strips her of her powers, holding them in a sphere similar to the one she held Roll's powers in# Yup.

Kali.EXE: ... Screw you!!!

Me: #Smacks Kali with Heavy Man and grins# Respect mah authoritah.

Kali.EXE: #Murmurs some inaudible insults#

Me: Anyhow, that's it for this chapter. See ya in the next, folks!


	28. The Awe of She, Part 1

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 28 – Awe of She, Part 1

Me: Hey, folks. I'm sure some of you have seen Rock Raider's review and wondered if he was accurate in saying that Megaman was deleted. Well, technically, Megaman WAS deleted, but it wasn't him, it was just his Dark Soul that was deleted. So there is still that chance you'll see the Blue Bomber somewhere in these last few chapters.

Mayl: Glad you cleared that up. Now tell me something. What's with the title?

Me: I got it off a song I like from the Guilty Gear X series. It's real nice, and, considering that Roll and Dizzy, the character who the theme belongs to, both have very strong, yet mostly untapped, powers, and that this is pretty much the final battle, I thought it'd work.

Lan: You realize probably half these people don't even know what Guilty Gear is...

Me: Nah, I'm sure there're a good few. Anyhow, enough chatter. On with the final battle!!!

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Kali stood at the back of the base, her eyes narrowed into a glare as she watched Shadow Megaman's deletion over and over again. Though she didn't have the same attachment as Roll did to Megaman, the event still cut her. She growled, her fists clenched tighter than they ever had been before, to the point blood was running down her knuckles from her palms. "No mercy... I'll destroy you, Roll, and dominate all of Net Society myself...!" Kali screamed out, a dark aura enveloping her. A flash filled the room almost instantaneously, dying out just as quickly. The surge of power knocked out the monitors and any lights in the room. Kali stood silent for a moment, then chuckled softly, her aura phasing between black and blood red, giving sight to a new silhouette upon her frame.

Roll dashed through the base at top speed, her face mask donned once more. She had expected at least a few viral guards, but apparently Kali meant it when she said she wanted an all out fight. Roll came to a halt before a large door emblazoned with a large, gothic N. She had no idea what it meant, other than this was probably the final door. She walked forward, forming her twin Roll Swords as the doors opened. As she entered the room, the doors shut slowly, then vanished behind her. Roll didn't even care at the time. She was too concentrated on stopping Kali. "I'm here!!! Now show yourself, Kali!!!"

Kali appeared before Roll, standing in her regular outfit. She didn't have the same gentle, deceptive smile as always. Instead, she wore an evil grin, her eyes seeming to flare out. "Well, I must say I'm impressed... You achieved a new form, and deleted Shadow Megaman, even after the Master Style advance. Congratulations, my dear little Roll..." Roll held her right sword up, a white aura forming around her. "Don't "Dear Little Roll" me, Kali!!! I'm sick of you trying to take over and destroy everything that we hold dear!!! I won't let you walk away, Kali!!! I'll delete you, and I'll take back my power and revive Megaman!!!" Kali spit to the side, her eyes shut. "Hmph. I'd like to see you try... Come on!!!"

Kali shrieked out, practically shaking the walls of the base. Roll grit her teeth as she saw Kali's Blood Red and Pitch Black Aura form about her body, totally enveloping her and shielding her from view. There was no flash this time, but Roll could feel an enormous power swelling within the aura. As the aura died off, Kali stood there, wearing a suit that was almost identical to Roll's, save for the black and gray that made it up. She smirked, raising her right hand into the air. "DARK SWORD!!!" Immediately, a black Cyber Sword formed on her arm. She held it forward, pointing it directly at Roll. "You're dead, Roll!!!"

Roll narrowed her eyes, then charged forward, jumping up and drawing both arms into the air. "THIS ENDS NOW!!!" Roll brought the two blades attached to her arms down in a Cross-Slash. A bright flash filled the room, dying down with great haste. As Roll pushed her swords down with all her might and weight, Kali grinned. She was holding off the attack with the one sword upon her arm, and hardly had any effort put into it. "Come now, Roll!!! Can't you do any BETTER?!!" She quickly pushed Roll back and vanished, appearing behind her and slamming her foot into her counterpart's back. Roll flew forward, performing a flip in the air and in a knelt down position. She turned around, just to see a slash coming at her. Roll quickly crossed her swords and blocked the attack, sliding back about 3 feet in doing so.

Kali laughed out a bit as she continued to hack and slash at Roll's swords, pushing her back towards a wall. "Face it, Roll!!! You're nothing!!! You don't stand a chance against me!!!" She brought her blade in down in a vertical slash, splitting Roll's swords in two. Roll stood there, her eyes wide as her helmet and face mask split open and fell to the ground. Blood then started to leak from Roll's forehead. She'd taken a hit from the sword, but it was nothing lethal. Fortunately, the ribbons upon her head remained intact. She jumped to the side, out of the way of a diagonal slash. Roll took this as an opening and caught herself on one foot, facing Kali. "ROLL HURRICANE!!!" As she said this, she flipped, sending an enormous wall of wind towards Kali. Kali's eyes shot wide as she saw the swift attack moving towards her, incapable of finding the time needed to block. Kali shrieked out, flying back and slamming hard into a wall. Roll stood there as the hurricane died, watching Kali slide down the wall and onto one knee.

Kali smirked, looking to her Dark Sword. The impact of the Roll Hurricane had shattered it right down to the base. She stood up, discarding the remaining data of the Dark Sword. "Well done, Roll... unfortunately..." Kali smirked, holding her hands out as cannons formed upon them. "It's not good enough!!! SHADOW CANNON!!!" Roll grit her teeth, then formed her own two Cannons, holding them straight up. "ROLL CANNON!!!" Both attacks launched at nearly the exact same time. They collided, creating a massive explosion that leveled the entire base. Roll and Kali cried out, flying back into opposite directions as the explosion reached them.

Moments later, Roll came to, gritting her teeth. She pushed some rubble off of her form, then stood, her left arm hanging dead at her side. Her hair was tangled with gravel and soaked in some of her own blood, and her suit had multiple gashes through it. She looked around, holding her left arm. After a few seconds of mere observation, she started to walk, looking through the rubble of the base. She sighed, then looked at the corrupt streams of data flowing through the "walls" of the Undernet. "... That can't have been enough to do Kali in..."

"Very perceptive..." Roll turned quickly as she heard this voice, just in time to feel something pierce her gut. She grit her teeth, coughing up blood as she looked down. A Dark Sword. Roll looked to her left, her eyes narrowed. "I... I thought..." Kali giggled evilly, starting to twist the blade in Roll's gut, bringing out agonized cries. "I only used one of my Dark Swords, Roll. Just like you, I have two of my own swords!!!" After twisting the blade back and forth, drawing tears and cries of great pain from Roll, she withdrew the blade, licking her counterpart's blood off of it. "Heheheh..." Roll grit her teeth, clutching the hole in her gut. Her white aura appeared around the hand she was clutching it with, blinking a little bit as she felt a tingling sensation. Within mere seconds, the aura faded. She drew her hand back, looking at the spot on her body where her wound was, and finding nothing but solid skin.

Kali narrowed her eyes, raising her sword. "Let's see you pull that trick when you're cut in HALF!!!" As Kali brought the sword down, the unexpected happened. Roll's ribbons caught the blade and snapped it clean in half. Kali's eyes shot wide as she saw this. She looked at her broken sword, then to Roll as she stood up. Kali smirked, standing right before Roll. "So, we really are evenly matched..." Roll clenched her fists, getting into a fighting stance. Her legs were spread out and dug into the ground as one arm was infront of her head, serving as a block, while the other remained at her side, ready to swing. "We'll just have to tip the balance in one of our favors, won't we?" Kali grinned, getting into an identical stance, nodding. "I guess we will..."

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Me: #Sighs and lies back, petting his Marill, Aquaria#

Megaman: You okay?

Me: Kinda in a bittersweet mood... I'm happy that I'm coming to the end of the story, because it's a real achievement for me. But, I'm also kinda sad, too, because that'll mean the story's over and I won't be able to advance in it anymore.

Protoman: Ah, the ever present "double-edged sword" scenario...

Me: Yup...

Megaman.EXE: Don't worry. If anything, you can always write another Battle Network fanfic.

Me: Yeah, but, it just won't be the same.

Megaman X: #Sighs# You seriously need to relax. You've got another fic to write after this anyways.

Me: ... Y'know, yer right. #Sits up and smiles, then picks his Marill up and holds it infront of him, making it face him# And besides, I'll just make the next story even better!!!

Aquaria: #Grimaces, then blasts him with Hydro Pump and jumps into her Pokeball#

Me: #Groans and spits out a fountain of water#

Roll Light: Well, until Death finishes coughing up water, we're done. See you next chapter, readers!!!


	29. The Awe of She, Part 2

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 29 – Awe of She, Part 2

Me: #Sighs, drumming his fingers as he looks at his computer screen#

Amy Rose: #Blinks and leans over his shoulder# Working on that fan fic?

Me: Yeah. I can't decide whether I wanna extend the final battle into just this 2nd chapter, or if I want it to go on for a third.

Amy Rose: Maybe you should drag it on into a third. You know, something special for this final fight.

Me: Yeah, but a lot of people don't like long, drawn out battles. #Points to the Dragon Ball series#

Amy Rose: What do you think all our fights with Dr. Eggman are...?

Me: ... #Thinks back over the 15 or so years of Sonic the Hedgehog games, then sweatdrops# That's a good point...

Amy Rose: Exactly. And we're still as popular as ever.

Me: Um, Sonic Heroes didn't really go over that well...

Amy Rose: Well maybe if my team had harder missions...

Me: Don't even start with that... #Moves on to writing Chapter 29#

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In the Real World, Mayl sighed, having fallen asleep at the monitor. It had been almost 12 hours since the hunt for Kali began, and she knew that Roll was in battle at the time. She could feel every bit of pain Roll went through, as if she were taking the attacks herself. The pain, as well as the stress of everything else occurring, just drained her. Lan walked in on her, kneeling down by her and sighing gently. He saw tears, immediately pointing out to him how worried Mayl was for Roll. He leaned forward, gently kissing her cheek as he whispered to her, careful not to awaken her from her sleep. "Don't worry... Roll's gonna come back alright..." This seemed to register into whatever it was at the time Mayl was dreaming off. Tears were still flowing, but a gentle smile crept across her lips as she heard this. Lan smiled, then looked to Mayl's PET. He was correct in assuming that something had cut Roll and Mayl off from one another, explaining why Mayl had found the time to sleep. He gently ran a hand through the tender-hearted girl's hair, a look of concern on his face as he thought to himself. 'Roll... we're behind you all the way...'

By this time, Kali and Roll were locked in a vicious hand-to-hand fight. Signs of wear were showing well, as each had their fair share of bruises and blood dotted across their bodies. Roll growled, catching a punch from Kali only to receive a knee in her abdomen. The force behind this attack was great, knocking the wind right out of Roll. Kali took this time to bring her leg up and slam her heel down on the back of Roll's head, smashing her hard into the debris upon the floor. Roll reached up quickly and grabbed Kali's foot, pulling it out from beneath her and swinging around. With a loud cry, she slammed her foot into Kali's side while she was still in mid-fall, sending her rolling a few feet. Kali coughed up blood as she rolled over, clutching her side with one hand as she came to a halt with the other. She noticed Roll jumping up and coming down at her head just in time to move out of the way. Roll's kick would've finished her off, this proven by how a large piece of steel debris she was laying on was almost punched straight through by the power of the kick.

Kali grimaced as she got up onto one knee, glaring coldly at Roll. 'Time to play this my way...' As Roll made her second charge, Kali charged forward, holding her hands out and slamming them into Roll's gut, palms open. "SHADOW BURST!!!" Roll shrieked out as thousands of dark energy bullets fired point blank into her abdomen, sending her flying backwards and into a pile of debris, while the bullets flew harmlessly into the air. Roll lay on one side, her eyes open. Her entire stomach and some of her chest suffered serious burns from the blast, but, a miracle as it was, there were no piercing blows. Unfortunately, Roll was struggling to breathe from the shock of the blast, knocking her into a daze. Kali took this chance and dashed forward, grabbing Roll by her hair and grinning. "This is gonna hurt you a lot more than it's gonna hurt me!!!" Just as Roll regained her breath, Kali swung her by her hair. Roll grit her teeth, feeling like it was going to be pulled cleaned from her skull.

That would have been the graceful way out, though. Roll's hair held surely enough, but it ended up getting her slammed back first onto the pile of debris she was laying against. Roll coughed up blood, her eyes wide as she rolled off the pile of debris. She was drained, hardly retaining the strength to move anymore. Kali narrowed her eyes, huffing a bit as she kicked Roll in the gut while she lay there. Roll slid through the debris, coughing up even more blood. Her body was horribly thrashed, and she didn't know how much more she could take. Kali smirked, walking forward and putting her boot on the side of Roll's head. "In comparison to me, you're still extremely weak... but I can change that for you, dear Roll... I'm willing to put aside the fact that you decimated my base AND annihilated my forces, if you join with me. This is the last time you're going to get the offer. You were lucky your friends showed up when you denied the first time, but this time, it's just you and me! So what do you say, Roll?!" Kali grinned, forming her Shadow Buster and aiming it right down towards Roll's head.

Roll grit her teeth, opening one eye and looking up at Kali. "I..." As she said this, her left hand, pinned between her body and the floor, glowed a light shade of pink, shifting into her Roll Buster beneath her. "I... will NEVER JOIN YOU!!!" Roll quickly pushed herself back and fired up at Kali, three of the shots impacting right into her chest. Kali stumbled back, gritting her teeth and looking up. "You insubordinate little..." As she looked forward to face Roll after shifting her attention from her wounds, she was greeted with a huge fist colliding right into her face. Kali flew back into the air, grunting in pain. Roll's eyes glowed pure white as she held one hand out. She'd managed to convert some of her power into a fist similar to that of the Guts Style that Megaman used to use. Again, her hand shifted, now a flamethrower. "THIS IS THE END!!!" As she cried out these words, a pillar of flames shot from the barrel of the flamethrower, slamming right into Kali and engulfing her. Kali screamed out at the top of her lungs as she fell to the ground, engulfed in flames. A storm of data flew into the air at her crash site, and at this sight, Roll dropped to her knees, gasping for breath. "F... finally... i... it's over... I'll j, just get the power in... a minute after I breathe..."

Unfortunately for Roll, she didn't have a minute. A huge pillar of blood red energy shot into the sky. Kali's silhouette stood within this, her eyes glowing red. Her suit was gone, this shown by how defined her toes, hair, ears, and figure were within the pillar. "ROLL!!! I'M DONE BEING PATIENT WITH YOU!!! IF YOU WANT TO BE WITH YOUR MEGAMAN SO BADLY, THEN I'LL SEND YOU TO HIM PERSONALLY!!!" Roll growled, looking at Kali's silhouette and shaking her head, thinking to herself as she trembled. 'No... that's too much power!!! I can't combat with that!!!' Immediately, every bit of data that was within 20 feet of Kali was sucked into the pillar, wrapping around her form. Kali's body seemed to grow and expand into an enormous creature, enveloped in the red energy. As the glow of the pillar faded, the new being floated there, it's looks alone revealing how threatening of a foe it was. From the torso down, there was the body of the Life Virus, legs, abdomen and all. The chest seemed to be made of violet stones dotted with green, running to the right arm where the head of Gospel, the multi-bug organism, roared ferociously. The left arm was a large metallic claw, floating free of the rest of the body, with long, razor-like fingers. The head was made that of Alpha, a single, mechanical eye supported by a red gel substance. The only sign of Kali left remained upon the emblem that was sticking out upon the beast's chest. Kali floated within the beast, a new suit upon her. The suit was blood red with black markings similar to slash marks running down the shoulders in the front and back. She suit ran down and enveloped her feet, while her hair flowed freely off her head. Her irises were now pure black, while the white areas around the eye had themselves become blood red. Her canines grew into sharp fangs, her body more toned than before.

Roll just stood before the beast, her eyes wide as she thought to herself. 'It's created of the Life Virus, Gospel, and Alpha... Megaman alone struggled with these guys...' Roll lowered her head, clenching her fists. '... so how am I supposed to fight all three at once?!!'

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Me: #Smiles, sighing# Well, I'm really happy with how this chapter came out.

Lan: But you couldn't come up with something original, huh?

Me: HEY!!! That IS original, it's just the parts of it that aren't!!! #Chuckles a bit#

Lan: #Sighs, shaking his head#

Mayl: #Holds the Z-Saber to Death's throat, twitching# If Roll doesn't come out of this...

Me: What EVER would make you think she wouldn't? This IS story supposed to fill the gap between Megaman Battle Network 3 and Megaman Battle Network 4!!!

Zero.EXE: #Walks up to Mayl and punches her in the back of the head, then takes his Z-Saber back# ASK next time, human!!!

Mayl: #Rubs her head, groaning# You're not supposed to hit girls...

Me: #Sighs, forming an ice pack and putting it on the bump forming on Mayl's head# Yeah, but you kinda asked for that. You know how touchy the Zero series is about their swords in either reality...

Zero, Megaman Zero, and Zero.EXE: #Hold their Z-Saber's and glare at the others# MINE!!!

Me: See what I mean...? Anyhow, that's it for this chapter, readers. See ya in the next!!


	30. The Awe of She, Part 3

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 30 – Awe of She, Part 3

Me: Well folks, this is it!!!

Everyone else: #Cheers and throws a party#

Me: FOR THE BATTLE, NOT THE STORY!!!

Everyone else: #Groans and packs it away#

Me: No respect...

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Roll sat before Kali and her final form, created of strongest opponents that Megaman had ever faced. She forced herself up, shivering out of lack of energy, and fear. Kali grinned, cracking her neck by tilting it side to side. "It's time for you to face deletion, Roll. Don't worry, you'll be reunited with Megaman, and maybe I'll bring you two back as my servants!!!" Kali raised her left arm, signifying Alpha's arm to lift. Before Roll had time to react, it slammed into her and drove her into the ground. Roll cried out, able to feel her bones starting to crack and shatter beneath the pressure. She struggled as best she could, but couldn't even budge the hand.

After a moment of this slow, torturous attack, Kali drew her hand back, smiling. "How pathetic... But you look so adorable when you're writhing in agony like that... Maybe I won't kill you... Maybe I'll just keep you as a pet." Roll grit her teeth, forcing herself up into a sitting position with all her might. "I... I'd rather... have every last piece o... of my body r... r... ripped to shr... eds..." As she spoke, she coughed blood ran out her mouth. Her body was seriously damaged internally, and at this rate, she wouldn't last much longer. Kali shrugged softly as Roll said this. "Suit yourself..."

Back in the real world, during the moment Roll took the crushing blow from Alpha's Left Arm, Mayl cried out in pain, rolling over and arching her back. Tears rolled down her cheeks as Lan rushed to her side from across the room, kneeling down and shaking her. "MAYL!!! MAYL, WAKE UP!!!" Mayl grit her teeth, panting heavily as the attack ended. She slowly came to, looking to Lan. "L... Lan, we have... we have to help Roll somehow... sh... she can't fight Kali alone like this..." Lan narrowed his eyes, sitting Mayl up, but still supporting her back. "Fight Kali like what?" Mayl held her head, forcing herself up as she leaned against the monitor. "K... Kali's using parts from the Life Virus, Gospel, and Alpha... she merged them into one super body, and, and she's gonna delete Roll, Lan!!!"

Just as she said this, her PET began to beep and flash. Immediately, a screen came on. Mayl snatched it up and looked at it, her eyes wide as she saw her Navi being blasted by the flames of the Gospel Head. Mayl wasted no time, pulling out three Recovery 300 chips and downloading them into her PET. Roll moaned gently as she lay still on the ground, receiving the chip data and regaining her senses and energy quickly. She sat up, blinking a bit. "How...?"

"Roll!!! I'm so glad you're okay!!!" Roll blinked, looking behind her and smiling happily. "Mayl!!!" Kali narrowed her eyes as she saw the monitor revealing Roll's Net Op, then huffed, thinking to herself. 'The Jamming Program I initiated must've been cancelled out when I created this body... No matter, her Net Op being along of the ride will only delay the inevitable!!!' "I hope you've gotten your second wind, Roll!!! Because now the real battle begins!!!" Immediately, a huge blast of flames shot out from the emblem on the beast's chest. Mayl pulled out three Bubbler chips and put them in, one after the other. "BUBBLE SHOT ADVANCE!!!" Roll held her arm out, sending a huge blast of water at the blaze. They collided halfway, but the flames had no chance. The Bubble Shot not only snuffed out the flames, but slammed into the emblem, giving Kali a severe shock. She grit her teeth, then shook her head. "Let's see how you like this, then!!!"

Kali held out Gospel's head and created a data copy of Airman. But instead of 3 Homing Tornadoes, hundreds were launched. Roll grit her teeth and jumped up in the air. "ROLL HURRICANE!!!" She performed a flip in the air, sending her massive hurricane attack at the smaller tornadoes. Unfortunately, this was what Kali had hoped for. The tornadoes moved willingly into the hurricane and started turning with it, combining into one enormous typhoon. Now in control, Kali sent the typhoon at Roll, slamming it right into her and throwing her towards her new body. Kali grinned and chuckled. "OPTIC LASER, FIRE!!!" Immediately, the cybernetic eye within Alpha's mass fired out a red beam, engulfing Roll too quickly for her to even scream, and driving her straight into the ground. Roll grit her teeth as the blast faded, forcing herself up. She spat some blood out to the side, glaring up at Kali's new body. Kali smiled and pointed Gospel's head at Roll, launching it at her in it's Drill form. Roll dodged to the side quickly, forming her cannons.

"ROLL CANNON!!!" She slammed the two cannons together before her and sent out an enormous wave of energy that slammed directly into the emblem. Kali shrieked out, arching her back. The beast she was manipulating seem to go into convulsions from the attack. Kali regained her composure quickly, chuckling a bit. "That won't be enough to stop me, Roll... Do you know what I call this? I call it the Chimera!!! Multiple different parts create this body of mine, and each part has it's own life force!!! You can try and take me out, but it won't do you any good!!!" Roll's eyes shot as a Wood Pillar slammed into her from below, sending her flying up into the air. The Alpha Arm caught her and started applying tremendous amounts of pressure. Roll screamed out at the top of her lungs, wriggling wildly against the grip. She managed to move the fingers just a slight bit, but that was all she could succeed in doing.

Kali cackled wildly, feeling in her heart as if victory was assured. She grinned, aiming Alpha's cybernetic eye at Roll as it began to glow a light, then dark crimson color. "Well, Roll, it's been fun, but now it's time for you to be deleted!!! Goodbye, "Dear Roll"!!!" Just as Alpha's eye prepared to fire, a barrage of blue charge shots slammed into the Chimera's chest. The beast cried out in great pain, tilting it's head back and firing upward into the sky, in turn dropping Roll to the ground. Roll grit her teeth as she lie there, barely conscious. She looked to a figure standing beside her. It was male, and he was a transparent being, phasing in and out. He wore a blue and yellow body suit and helmet, with blue and black boots. He looked to Roll, smiling. "Are you okay...?"

As Roll's vision cleared, she recognized the figure as it began to fade. Her eyes shot wide, suddenly finding the strength to stand. "M, MEGAMAN!!!" The blue Navi smiled, nodding to her in response. Roll stood there, tears rolling down her cheeks. "... Mega... I missed you so much..." Megaman sighed, looking down at his hands. "Unfortunately... I can't stay, Roll... I was able to summon up enough energy to come and assist you, but, that's it... I'm spent... I have to go back now." Roll shook her head, gritting her teeth. "You can't!!! Please Megaman, don't leave me again!!!" Megaman sighed, looking at her. He walked forward, putting his hand upon her cheek. Roll blinked, holding her hand to the same cheek. She felt nothing. Megaman sighed, lowering his head. "Roll... even if I was able to stay like this, I'd be totally useless to you... That was everything that I'd gained over these past couple months in the data stream... If I don't go, then I'll be totally deleted... not even my fragments will remain..."

The Chimera reared back, clutching it's chest. Kali was on her knees within the beasts body, stunned from the earlier blasts. She looked up, her eyes wide as she saw the Blue Bomber's image. "So... h... he manifested to give assistance... When I get moving again, I'll destroy both of them for good..." Roll stood there, her tears pouring freely now. "... I... I love you, Megaman..." Megaman nodded, smiling gently to her. "I love you too, Roll..." He blinked, then snapped his fingers, kneeling down and gathering data from the debris. He then stood up, pressing it into Roll's emblem. Roll gasped as she felt it merge with her body, feeling a final new power beginning to swell within. Megaman looked to Kali, his eyes narrowed. "... Roll... this is my final request..." He leaned forward as the data from his feet up began to disperse into the air rapidly. He kissed her gently on the cheek, leaving a strange warmth upon her face. "... don't let Kali destroy everything that I love... finish her off with your new power..." Roll stood there, watching as Megaman smiled until the last second when the rest of his data vanished. She lowered her head, sniffing a bit.

Lan and Mayl were dumb founded by what they had just seen. Megaman's spirit, manifesting to rescue Roll and present her with his feelings, as well as a new power, not yet known to the two young Net Ops. Lan smiled, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Megaman... You were always there, huh...?" Roll smiled, hearing Lan's words. She looked up to Mayl, smiling. "Mayl, Lan... Megaman also wishes you two the best..." Both the Net Ops blushed slightly, then sighed, smiling. Roll turned, facing the Chimera as it regained it's composure. Kali growled, shaking furiously with rage within the Chimera. "Your boyfriend's gone now, Roll!!! All he managed to do was delay your fate!!! You're as good as DEAD!!!" Immediately, Kali charged up all three parts of the Chimera's body, firing a massive beam of energy. These were the three ultimate attacks of the Life Virus, Gospel, and Alpha, all merged into one. Roll stood firm, watching the blast come at her. "Megaman's final wish was for your deletion to secure the safety of everything he loved..."

Roll floated up off the ground, holding her left arm out. Immediately, a pink bow with a heart in the middle formed where her hand was. Her right hand held an arrow composed purely of pink energy, comprised of every power she had attained over the past couple of months from her Roll Hurricane, right down to the Paladin Style. Roll loaded the arrow in the bow and drew the string back, her eyes narrowed into a fierce glare, intent on making her only shot the one that would end the battle. "AND I WILL HONOR THAT LAST REQUEST!!! ROLL ARROW!!!" The instant she let go of the string, the arrow shot, growing hundreds of times over in size. The arrow easily absorbed the blast and added it onto it's own mass, heading straight for Kali and the Chimera. Kali's eyes shot wide as she saw this, never having felt a power like this before. "NO!!! THIS CAN'T BE THE END!!! IT CAN'T BE!!!" Kali shrieked out as the arrow slammed into the emblem upon Chimera's body, totally engulfing it in energy. Kali cried out in agony as the arrow pierced straight through her, annihilating her once and for all.

Moments later, Roll walked through the path of destruction, coming across the very sphere that held every one of her original powers in it's purest form. She knelt down, smiling as she spoke gently. "Now Megaman can come back... and everything will go back to normal..." As Roll reached for the sphere, she noticed cracks running throughout it. She blinked, only touching it ever so slightly. The sphere flashed and exploded into a dome of white light that enveloped all of the Internet. As the energy faded, Roll found herself present within a new Undernet 6, totally reformatted. Mayl looked across multiple monitors in the Sci-Lab assembly room, finding every bit of damage that Kali and her revived Navis caused to be gone. New layouts were spread all over the Net, replacing the old outdated ones. This was the final effect of Roll's power. Roll sat there, her eyes wide in shock. Her Roll Arrow was the only new technique she had left, and it would never be as powerful as the first shot ever again, as she had to pour every other power she had into the shot to make totally sure that Kali would never re-emerge. With her original power gone, it seemed as though her heart was torn apart. "... that... that was the only way of reviving Mega... and... and now it's gone..." Roll felt her body return to normal, her hair even back to the single metal plate it once was. Roll grit her teeth, then broke down into sobs, shuddering uncontrollably. Mayl and Lan lowered their heads, embracing one another, both in tears. They realized the fact just as well as Roll had. Megaman was deleted, and it was meant to remain that way.

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Everyone but me: #Starts throwing the party again#

Me: THE STORY'S NOT OVER YET!!!

Everyone else: WHAT?!!!

Me: I still have to finish up filling the last couple days before school starts!!!

Mayl: BUT KALI'S DEAD, WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO SAY?!!

Me: It's for the interest of being a good author. I personally believe a good author drives the story right to the very end, making it the best that it can be!!!

Shadowman.EXE: So why are we still here?!!

Me: YOU DIMWITS ARE THE MAIN CAST, I NEED YA AROUND!!!

The EXE character: Oh...

Me: #Sighs, then smiles# Well, readers, this is it. The next chapter's going to finish it up. I'll see you one more time in chapter 31!!!


	31. The End, and the Beginning

The Pain Of Loss Chapter 31 – The End, and the Beginning

Mayl: "The End, and the Beginning"?

Me: Yup... It's the ending of my story, and the beginning of Battle Network 4's.

Lan: So... this is it, huh...?

Me: #Sighs# Yeah... guess it is...

Megaman.EXE: No jokes or anything to start us off...?

Me: #Shakes his head, smiling a bit# ... nah... it'd kill the moment... C'mon, let's end this...

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It was the day before school, and preparations were being made by all the former 5th graders for their first day of 6th grade. Yai was working with Glyde on preparing one of her infamous flashy introductions. Dex and Gutsman, as usual, were on the Net, taking on challenges from other Navis, trying to boost their egos before the first day. Lan sighed as he sat at home on his bed, his blank PET sitting beside him. He was contemplating over and over again how he would deal with getting a new Net Navi, when he had grown so attached to Megaman. After a good 3 hours of thought, he stood, leaving his home on his way to Beach Street to send his final regards to his beloved Net Navi, and brother.

Mayl, as usual, was fully prepared for her first day. At least, in terms of organizing her back pack and such. The only thing she wasn't prepared with was Roll. Roll had been in a state of shock since her power was destroyed, and she was having the hardest of times coping with it. She sobbed uncontrollably in her PET, her knees hugged up against her chest as she sat alone. Mayl couldn't bear to let her be like this, so she let her into Sleep Mode. She looked out her bedroom window at the clear blue sky, sighing a little bit. "... If anyone, some higher being out there, can hear me... please, just help Roll get through this... Not for my sake, but for her's... Please..."

Protoman and Chaud were dealing with matters other than school preparations at the time. Currently, they were searching the New Undernet, searching for a wanted Navi. It was a basic Black Navi, so hidden among the rest, it would be difficult to spot. At least for any normal Net Op and Navi. Protoman and Chaud caught notice of their target dashing through a pathway with what looked to be someone's rib cage sticking out as bars. Protoman sighed, then charged forward, jumping up and slashing the Navi clean in half across the torso. The Navi fell to the ground, gritting his teeth as he clutched onto some strange Battle Chip data. "N... no... I... I mustn't... fail Ne... bula...!" He turned created a buster on his arm and turned it, just to receive a Long Sword straight through his face. The Navi vanished, leaving the chip lying upon the ground. Protoman knelt down, shuddering a bit as he grasped it. Chaud narrowed his eyes, recognizing that chip from some recent Net Police reports he'd searched through. "... the Dark Chip..."

High above Protoman, Shademan hung upside down, his eyes narrowed as he thought to himself. 'That Official got his grubby hands on the chip... I can't face him right now, not as I am... I will just have to explain the situation to Lord Laserman...' Shademan disengaged his talons from the bottom of the path and flew off with a high pitched cry, heading towards Nebula's new base to inform Laserman of the current happenings involving one of the thousands of Dark Chips that were to be delivered to them.

At Sci-Lab, Dr. Hikari sighed, smiling gently. He had finally finished decoding the letter that his Father, the original Dr. Hikari, had left in the care of Lan and Megaman to deliver to him. He blinked, raising an eyebrow at some extremely interesting data within the letter. "... Amazing... Not even Alpha could reach this section of itself... What's this...?" He blinked, focusing his studies upon an odd form of data that didn't seem to match with the rest of the area.

After about 15 minutes of sorting through the data, he was finally able to classify it. "Navi Data..." He blinked, watching the data begin to merge and take shape upon his screen. He sat still, amazed at the Navi before him. He then smiled, downloading the data onto a CD and standing, placing it carefully within a case. He grabbed his coat and turned, leaving Sci-Lab with the CD Case in hand. Upon the monitor he had been working on, an Emblem appeared. The emblem in name belonged to Lan.

Lan sighed as he said "Good Night" to his mother and shut his bedroom door. He changed out of his day clothes and into his pajamas, shutting off his lights and lying down in bed, the covers pulled up to his chest. He just lay there for a few moments, looking at his ceiling as he pondered to himself. 'Megaman... I'm going to miss you so much... I don't want to replace you, but, I have to for the 6th grade, it's required... I'm so sorry...' With these last thoughts, Lan dozed off into a peaceful slumber.

Only an hour later, Lan's father walked into his room, smiling at his sleeping son as he thought to himself. 'You're a good boy, Lan... You've got a kind heart, and even though you're brash at times, you do follow your instinct and do what's right... No wonder Dad preserved this...' Dr. Hikari moved quietly to Lan's PC where his PET was hooked up. He turned it on, making sure the speakers were off first and foremost. He then opened the Disc Drive and inserted the CD he had been so careful with, letting it slide into the computer and begin downloading into the PET. He set it so the computer would shut off after the data transfer was complete, then turned off the monitor and sighed, turning and walking to Lan's doorway. As he grasped the door knob and got halfway out, he smiled to his son, whispering a bit. "Good night, Lan... Take good care of "him"."

Mayl sighed as she sat at Higsby's Chip Shop after school, waiting on Lan. Surprisingly enough, Lan had made it on time, and he was apparently very excited about his new Navi. This worried Mayl and made her wonder if Lan was either in denial, or if he had totally forgotten about Megaman. Fortunately, since it was only the first day, the Navis were permitted to remain in their PETs and just listen to introductory lectures to their lessons and such. There was no homework, either, so there was no reason for the Navis to even need to download anything for their Net Ops. Lan took this chance to bring Mayl invite Mayl to the chip shop after school to show her and Roll the new Navi. Mayl was hesitant at first, concerned it would injure Roll's heart, but Lan had specifically guaranteed that she would be happier than ever.

Lan skated into the shop only moments after Mayl, panting a bit. "Sorry I kept you, Mayl. Mom insisted she check me for homework." Mayl giggled a bit, smiling. "Considering your track record in the past, I would, too... Anyhow, show Roll and I this new Navi of your's. That's what you invited us here for, right?" Lan grinned, nodding to his PET. He then pulled out the link cable and drew his arm back in his classic stance. "JACK IN!!! MEGAMAN, EXECUTE!!!"

Mayl and Roll's eyes shot wide as they heard the name of the Navi. Surely enough, on the monitor in a flash of blue light, the Blue Bomber stood before Roll, smiling. "Hey, Roll. It's great to see you again." Lan grinned, looking right to Mayl. "I don't know how Dad did it, but he brought Megaman back!!!" Mayl smiled, looking to Roll. Roll just stood there, in shock. She couldn't believe her eyes. Megaman blinked, then chuckled a bit. "What, no "Welcome back" or anything?" Roll lowered her head, sniffing a bit. Megaman sweatdropped, stepping forward. "I, I was just kidding Roll!!! You don't gotta get upset!!" Roll lifted her head, a smile on her face as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Y... you jerk... I thought... that you were gone for good..." Megaman smiled, walking forward and embracing her very tenderly. Roll's hands came to rest on Megaman's chest, as did her forehead as she cried tears of joy. This continued on for a few moments before she regained her composure some more, looking up to Megaman with the same delicate smile she would always wear around him. "... I love you so much, Megaman... Don't you ever leave us again..." Megaman smiled, shutting his eyes and embracing her, stroking her back and kissing her helmet softly. "I'm here to stay, Roll..."

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Me: #Sighs, packing it up#

Mayl: So that's it...

Me: Yup. But, hey, not like I don't see you guys all the time when I play MMBN 4: Blue Moon...

Lan: Yeah...

Me: Well, you guys can throw that party ya all wanted to, now...

Everyone else: #Looks to each other, then sighs, looking down#

Me: What? Don't tell me you're getting emotional on me now...

Lan: Guess we are.

Chaud: Look, just write another MMBN fic if you want to incorporate us in a story again, okay...?

Me: Hehehehe, you know it. Anyhow, folks, I hope you enjoyed "The Pain of Loss" as much as I did writing it. It sucks that it's gotta end here, but, I've kinda hit the end of the time gap between MMBN 3 and MMBN 4, so, it's gotta be done. Catch you guys on the flip side, and be expecting my newest story sometime in the near future!!! JA MATTE!!! ( FYI – That's "See you later" in Japanese. XP )


End file.
